How to Make a Blooming Pumpkin Using a Shortcut + Alfresco Fall Table

Create a blooming pumpkin centerpiece for your fall or Thanksgiving table with this easy shortcut! You’ll find flower longevity tips as well as additional floral inspiration.

Happy Monday! It’s one of my favorite days of the month when I join my

Monday Morning Blooms’ friends to share some flower therapy.

You can find my flower friends’ links and blooming inspiration at the bottom of this post.

Our theme for this week’s edition of Monday Morning Blooms was ‘pumpkin’.

 I’m rolling out the pumpkins with October’s arrival and in celebration of my favorite season!

Flowers and pumpkins are two of my favorite things and I love to combine

the two for a seasonal centerpiece for a fall or Thanksgiving table.

I’m sharing an easy method and shortcut to make a blooming pumpkin!

Typically, you hollow out your pumpkin to make a vase for your flowers,

 but cutting through the hard skin and flesh can be a challenge and hazardous!

Skipping this step saves you time, prevents potential accidents,

and it extends the life of your pumpkin.

I started with a stemless pumpkin that I picked from my favorite pumpkin patch.

 I always like to buy one or two stemless pumpkins in the fall to use for stacking.

For this arrangement I used mums and sunflowers from the grocery store

and flowers and foliage from the garden:

Limelight hydrangeas, goldenrod, abelia, Chaste tree seed pods and maiden grass plumes.

This post contains affiliate links. For more information see my disclosure policy.

Start with a brick of wet floral foam. Cut your floral brick with a knife to the size you need

for the top of your pumpkin. Soak the floral foam in water mixed with floral preservative

until it’s fully saturated (about 5 minutes or less).

Tip: When using wet floral foam, use the “float soak” method and

place the floral foam brick on top of the water.

Let the floral foam gradually absorb the water until it’s fully saturated.

Plunging the floral foam in the water traps air bubbles and will prohibit the

transfer of water from the foam to the flower stems.

When the foam was saturated, I used waterproof floral tape to secure the wet foam to a clear plastic plate.

Place your plate with foam on your pumpkin to arrange your flowers,

so you get a feel for proportion and size of your finished arrangement.

Start with your greenery, adding it to your foam, to establish the overall shape

of your arrangement. I used some abelia foliage clipped from the shrubs.

After you’ve added your foliage, add your flowers, starting with the largest ones first.

I began with some sunflowers and larger mums. Limelight hydrangeas from the garden and goldenrod,

 came next. I filled in with smaller mums, than added some Chaste tree seed pods

and maiden grass plumes.

Spin your plate with your flowers around on your pumpkin as your work, or

 place your pumpkin on a Lazy Susan / Turntable, so you see your arrangement from all sides.

Tuck in additional greenery or flowers as needed, working until all your foam

and the edge of your plate is concealed.

What I love about this method:

🍂 No cutting involved so your pumpkin will last all season

🍂  Easy to transport the flowers and pumpkin separately

🍂 The floral top can be refrigerated to prolong the life of your flowers

🍂 You can add water to the arrangement if needed as the plastic plate will catch drips and excess water

To further prolong the life of your flower arrangement, use

an anti-transpirant, like Crowning Glory, that seals in moisture.

Crowning Glory dries to a clear finish with no residue and is safe to use on all flower types.

I moved my blooming pumpkin to the table for a centerpiece for some alfresco dining!

Assorted harvest plaid plates add some warm fall color and pattern . . .

While a wool throw adds a soft plaid layer, atop a matelassé coverlet for a tablecloth.

And tree slice chargers and bone-handled flatware add some warm texture.

Table details:

Harvest Plaid Dinner Plates & Napkins / Pier 1, several years ago, used here

Goblets / Mikasa French Countryside

Tree Slice Chargers / Bed, Bath & Beyond, several years ago

Bone-handled Flatware / Towle Seville

Charger & Plaid throws / HomeGoods, several years ago

Visit my blogging friends to see their beautiful floral inspiration with pumpkins this week:

Pam at Everyday Living

Lidy at FrenchGardenHouse

 Shirley at Housepitality Designs

As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you purchase anything through an affiliate link, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Thank you for your visit, sharing with:

 Between Naps on the Porch