Pumpkins: As Decoration

How can pumpkins be used for decorating?

Whole pumpkins can be used to decorate 

• Porches and decks
• Stoops and steps
• Tables and counters
• Vanities and tub surrounds
• Dressers
• Entryways
• Walkways

And any place else you can put a gourd!

How can you decorate with small pumpkins?

Small pumpkins, like Jack Be Little, are best for tablescapes and grouping in baskets. 

Pick one variety in the same color for a monochromatic look or mix it up with different colors and shapes. Find a container and pile in the gourds! 

If your container is a plastic storage tub, wrap a wide ribbon around it or drape fabric over the sides so that the arrangement looks intentional. A plastic tub with things piled in it might look like sloppy storage, but thoughtfully staging the container will make it look like an intentional decorating choice.

Don’t limit yourself to baskets and bowls. If the pumpkin will fit in it, try it out as decoration! Consider using glass jars, decorative glass lanterns, milk crates, terrariums, cloches (bell jars), wagons, children’s rideable cars or bikes, wheelbarrows, or anything else you have on hand. 

How can you decorate with medium-sized pumpkins?

Medium pumpkins, like Casper pumpkins, are good for doorsteps or pairing with hay bales for a fall party.

For a small stoop, put a single medium pumpkin on a step and a chrysanthemum on a step above or below it.

For a larger porch, you might want a pumpkin on each step or grouped on the porch. 

You could have a size or color gradation moving down the steps. Start with the smallest pumpkin at the top and have the largest one on the bottom step. 

Or put a pale green pumpkin on the bottom step and slowly brighten to a full orange pumpkin on the top stop.

Your options are only limited by your imagination. Don’t be afraid of doing it “wrong.” Play around with arrangements and when you like what you see, show it off with confidence!
To use pumpkins for a reception or other large party, you could use different color or style pumpkins to mark different areas. For example, the smooth orange pumpkins could indicate the food area, the warty green and orange pumpkins could line the dance floor, and the green pumpkins could mark off the smoking zone. 

How can you decorate with large pumpkins?

Large pumpkins, like Big Moon, can grow up to several hundred pounds and may be more challenging to use in home decorating than smaller varieties. 

I suppose if you had a large field or room and the machinery to move the pumpkins, they could make whimsical path markers or those benches that you lean against without sitting.

How do you prepare pumpkins for decorating?

For short term decorating, most store-bought pumpkins are fine to be used as they are. If you want to use pumpkins longer, you’ll need to remove bacteria and cure the gourd. Here is one way of helping to slow down a pumpkin’s decay. ​