How to Make a Pumpkin Planter for Mums

Begin your project by purchasing the perfect pumpkin. While just about any pumpkin will work for this project, for best results, look for one with a wide base that you can fit a floral vase or grower's pot in.

Materials and Tools:

• Medium-sized pumpkin with an interesting color and shape
• Chrysanthemum plant in a grower’s pot
• Cut flowers and greenery like herbs and trimmings from fall-colored shrubs and trees
• Vase or bowl that fits in the middle of the pumpkin
• Floral foam or a florist frog
• Pencil or marker
• Pumpkin carving kit, optional
• Paring knife
• Large spoon
• Bowl for pumpkin guts

You can carve the pumpkin indoors or outdoors. Be sure to protect your work space with a cutting board or a layer of brown paper. Wear an apron to protect your clothes.

Take the bowl that will hold the floral arrangement and place it upside down on top of the pumpkin. Using a marker or pencil, outline the bowl. This is your guideline for the opening that will hold the floral arrangement.

You can use a florist's frog, if you have one, to hold the stems in the vase. If using floral foam, measure it to fit in the vase and go ahead and soak the foam.

Before you being carving the pumpkin, condition your floral stems. This simply means hydrating the flowers to extend their vase life.

Steps to condition flowers:

• Remove foliage below water level.
• Put a clean, angled cut on the stem.
• Place floral stems in a bucket filled halfway with water.
• Store in a cool, dark place, for several hours or overnight.

Use a knife to carve and remove the top of the pumpkin, around the stem. Keep the vase nearby to check that it's the proper size for your arrangement.

Next, scoop out the pumpkin guts, the fibrous pulp and seeds, and place in a bowl. You can save the seeds to make your own roasted pumpkin seed snack, or compost them.

Tip: Pumpkin pulp and seeds can be composted in both indoor and outdoor systems. Composters turn plant debris into finished compost that will benefit your garden plants next summer.

Place the bowl or vase in the cavity of the pumpkin and fill partway with water.

Place the floral foam in the bowl in the pumpkin cavity. It's ready now for your floral designs.

Arrange your flowers in the vase. Experts recommend these tips for arranging flowers:

• Start with a shape in mind, like a pyramid or a ball shape.
• Trim stems to fit the overall shape. You can always fine tune the trim.
• Begin with the largest flowers and place near the bottom of the arrangement.
• Work with a single flower at a time and place throughout the bouquet.
• Group smaller flowers. Clusters of three are visually appealing.
• When you have enough flowers in the arrangement, fill in gaps with greenery like foliage and herb stems.

Tip: You can hit the easy button with this project by carving a cavity that will fit a grower's pot and place a fresh mum plant directly in the pumpkin.

When it's time to enjoy your flower-filled pumpkin, you can use it as a centerpiece or on a welcoming hall table.

In temperate weather, you can place the arrangement on a porch for an autumn celebration, like a Halloween party.

The flowers should last several days in the display. Check the water daily and supplement if needed. Remove faded flowers and add fresh blooms, if you can.

Tip: Protect your fine furniture by first placing the pumpkin on a plate or platter.