Succulent Pumpkin Planter

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Hey there, friends! Happy Monday. I hope you had a fabulous weekend and are doing well.

It’s been a few years since I carved a pumpkin. Probably seven years to be precise. So when a blogger friend asked me to participate in Clinton Kelly’s 30-Minute Pumpkin Challenge I was a little nervous. I didn’t have much time which made me a tad worried about coming up with an idea. People have done literally EVERYTHING imaginable with a pumpkin. Just search Pinterest. It’s insane.

Succulent Pumpkin Planter | Inspired by Charm

Fortunately, the idea of planting succulents in a pumpkin to create a Succulent Pumpkin Planter came to mind. I thought this was an original idea, so I went with it. Later I discovered that it’s been done. I should have guessed. ANYWAY, new idea or not, I think the planter turned out amazingly cute and has just the right amount of spooky.

Succulent Pumpkin Planter:

Now, before we get started, I must mention that as soon as you cut into a pumpkin, there’s clearly a limited amount of time you have to decorate with it. After about a week, it’s going to rot. You’ll want to keep that in mind. As cute as this is, it’s obviously most ideal for a Halloween party, a spooktackular weekend celebration, or something like that. However, you will see in my tutorial that I considered this, so it can be disassembled as quickly as it comes together.

Succulent Pumpkin Planter | Inspired by Charm

At any rate, it’s totally worth it.

Succulent Pumpkin Planter | Inspired by Charm

Okay, ready? Let’s do it.

How to make a Succulent Pumpkin Planter:

You will need:
Pumpkin (I really like the Cinderella type, but any variety will work.)
plastic bowl or container that will fit inside the pumpkin
succulents
reindeer moss
plastic spiders
sharp knife
glue (I used a hot glue gun.)

Begin by cutting a hole into the top of your pumpkin. Make it wide enough so you can fit a lot of succulents inside. (Yes, the inside of a green pumpkin is orange too. I don’t know. This really surprised me for reason.)

Succulent Pumpkin Planter | Inspired by Charm

Succulent Pumpkin Planter | Inspired by Charm

Then, if necessary, insert a bowl or plastic container upside down into the pumpkin. This will give your plants a stable place to sit.

Succulent Pumpkin Planter | Inspired by Charm

Start inserting your succulents. Keep your succulents in the plastic pots they came in. This will allow you to take the pumpkin planter apart because, as I mentioned above, the pumpkin will soon start to rot. After you disassemble your planter, you can then use your succulents somewhere else.

Succulent Pumpkin Planter | Inspired by Charm

Tuck the potted succulents in really close to one another. The plastic pots bend easily so this is simple to do.

After all of your plants are in place, place some reindeer moss (I bought a big pack from Amazon a while back.) around the plants to hide the dirt and pots.

Succulent Pumpkin Planter | Inspired by Charm

Your planter is now complete if you prefer a traditional look.

Succulent Pumpkin Planter | Inspired by Charm

However if you’d like, you can add a little spookiness to your pumpkin. That’s what I did. Just hot glue a couple glittery black spiders (purchased at Walmart) to the side of the pumpkin.

Succulent Pumpkin Planter | Inspired by Charm

Succulent Pumpkin Planter | Inspired by Charm

Once I placed the pumpkin on my table, I added a few more spiders to make it look as if they were crawling toward and up into the pumpkin.

Succulent Pumpkin Planter | Inspired by Charm

And that’s it! A Succulent Pumpkin Planter!

fall pumpkin centerpiece

I wish this could last forever and ever.

However if you’d like, you could use a realistic-looking funkin and essentially keep your planter all season long.

Succulent Pumpkin Planter | Inspired by Charm

As much as I love this pumpkin without the spiders, I like it even more with them. I’m not super into Halloween, but if I was, this would be my kind of decorating. Beautiful, but slightly unexpected and eerie.

Succulent Pumpkin Planter | Inspired by Charm

What do you think of my festive planter?

Inspired By Charm

And, since I know some of you will ask, you can learn how to make the Gold Dot Burlap Runner by clicking here. (It’s no sew and really simple to put together.)

DIY No Sew Burlap Table Runner | Inspired by Charm #31daysofhome

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33 Comments

  1. You hit it out of the ballpark! I love this succulent pumpkin!! I don’t have a green thumb and I’m not real crafty, but am definitely trying this one.

  2. Love it! Speaking of Pinterest, I’ve seen tips on making your carved pumpkins last by spraying the insides with a bleach mixture! Maybe that’s worth looking into. Happy Halloween, Michael! Thanks for all your charming inspirations!

  3. Love this!!! Its cute and so right for Halloween. The spiders add just the right touch. I’ve never seen a green pumpkin though. Where did you get it?

    1. I believe they are called cinderella pumpkins. They seem to be more readily available these days. I got mine at a local greenhouse. Hope that helps!

      xo Michael

  4. I’ve also done this with mums, simply planting an appropriately sized mum inside an carved out pumpkin. When the usual rot begins to take over, it’s fine to just plop the whole thing, pumpkin and all into the garden. The rotting pumpkin acts as food for your mum once planted. This is a great, quick and inexpensive way to add decorative give-away centerpieces for autumn gatherings and socials.

  5. I am trying to remember what 3 + 8 is….LOL! Love the planter…..but the spider climbing up totally takes the cake (or should I say pumpkin pie)!

    Happy day to you rock star!
    karianne

  6. I love this, it is so pretty! Couldn’t you also use a fake pumpkin from Michael’s or JoAnn’s? I am going to make one this weekend! Thanks so much for the inspiration! karen….

    1. You totally could and I noted that somewhere in the post. HOWEVER, nothing beats the real thing. And, five days later, the pumpkin is still doing great!

      xo Michael