Easy DIY Succulent Pumpkin

If you look on Pinterest or Facebook, you might have seen that using succulents to decorate your pumpkins is really trendy right now.  Now that Halloween is over, don’t throw away those un-carved pumpkins. Use them for your Thanksgiving table setting.  This easy DIY took me about 30 minutes.

The succulents are easy to find. If you don’t think you will try to re-pot them once Thanksgiving has been celebrated, Walmart is an affordable place to purchase the types of succulents you need. I had two succulent topiaries left over from Mr. Bee’s birthday party in June.  My florist, Bryan, constructed them by putting sticks through the center of each succulent and then inserted them into a floral oasis ball.   Most were still alive so I just moved them from the foam ball and placed them into the grey pumpkins I had purchased at Sprouts.

Two gray pumpkins meet a succulent topiary ball…

I got out my cordless drill and used a 9/64th size drill bit to make each hole.  Since my succulents were on sticks, that’s why I needed a drill.  You could make this totally easy and just hot glue your succulents to the pumpkin. But, if you do that, the likelihood of being able to transplant them into soil afterward is pretty slim.

I then inserted the succulent stick into each hole.  I repeated this process until I had the number of succulents and look I was going for.

I finished by stuffing the empty spaces with moss (easily found in craft stores).  I used floral pins to secure the moss in places, or you could use hot glue.

I designed one pumpkin to have a “cascade” of succulents coming down one side.  The other pumpkin I just placed them on the top.  I used a marble cake pedestal to elevate one, and grouped them together with candles and a lantern.

It was fun afternoon project and something unexpected for the table.  I’m really excited to incorporate this into my Thanksgiving centerpiece.  I’ll be sharing ideas with you, too, for setting the table.  Stay tuned.