I've been on the hunt for some large inexpensive fake pumpkins, but those babies don't come cheap in the peak of the season. I plan to buy a few after Halloween when they're marked down on clearance, but this year I decided instead of going without I would go with a cheaper - real - version. The problem with real pumpkins is they are heavy, they are not symmetrical, you can not drill into them (to use a dowel for support) or they'll rot within days. Honestly, they're not ideal for a pumpkin topiary - but they are the cheapest way to go. And with a few tweaks it is possible to make a real tiered pumpkin topiary, even one that's illuminated.
I started by spray painting my flower pot black.
Then I placed the largest pumpkin - stem down - into the base.
Initially, I wanted to have a three-tier topiary, but after an hour of work and an hour of admiration it toppled.
Back to square one where I decided to add some weight to the pot by filling a plastic bag with sand. I put the largest pumpkin on the bottom again, but this time only added one pumpkin on top so it wasn't so top heavy. I topped it with a burlap "bow" that I quickly made by folding burlap over itself over and over again and tying in the center with jute rope. It's staying in place with
Since this is another project where I shopped my house instead of the store for all the supplies - except the pumpkins - I went scrounging around my basement and came out with a bunch of random stuff. I landed on garland and a string of white lights to give my topiary a little 'bling.' Not to mention it lights up our front porch at night - which I love! Any excuse to get the Christmas lights out early, right?!
I finished it off by adding a scrap wood 'Trick or Treat' sign behind it. (That tutorial's coming to the blog soon.)
One of these days I'll find an inexpensive bench that I can decorate, but until then my lighted pumpkin topiaries will have to do. I think they can hold their own for now, don't you?
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