October is here, friends! Where September went, I couldn’t tell you. But October is here!

Despite it being the fastest start to fall I can ever recall, I couldn’t be more excited about the changing of the season.  Fall is the season of rich, gorgeous color and all the pretty texture. Our coolers are packed- literally- with dahlias, antique hydrangea, berries, ranunculus. You get the picture: days are pretty around the flower shop.

Equally exciting, the changing of the season means it’s time for floral pumpkins. Each year, to the dismay of my husband, we sell dozens of floral pumpkins. While it may mean hours of carving for him, it’s one of my very favorite things to design. We thought we’d break down how to create a floral pumpkin so our stylebook friends could share in the fun!

Carve your pumpkin: Pick a pumpkin that has some ‘meat on the bone.’ The smallest pumpkins are often really dense and hard to carve, so best to pick a medium to large-sized pumpkin. Cut off the top and set it aside for later.  Clean out all the pumpkin innards.

Mechanics: You can either drop a vase into your pumpkin (a simple glass cylinder should do the trick), or you can fill your pumpkin with a floral foam. 

Make a base of greenery: If you’ve ever taken a Helen Olivia workshop, you know the magic starts with a great base of greenery. For my pumpkin, I picked a mix of nandina, eucalyptus, and wigelia but anything works!  (including everything in your backyard). If you like an extra lush pumpkin, we recommend mixing in a few hydrangeas for fullness.

Select your flowers: The fun part! Whether you’re grabbing blooms on your grocery trip or from the farmers market, there are beautiful options this time of year. Layer them in and around your greenery to the desired fullness. Make sure to leave a hole toward the top back of your pumpkin where the lid will sit. 

Don’t forget the lid! The top of the pumpkin that you cut off in the beginning is the finishing touch. Find any type of sharp stick (or even kebab skewers) and carefully poke them into the pumpkin flesh to create a stem of sorts, and then nestle it back into the arrangement.

Enjoy! Enjoy your beautiful floral pumpkin, and don’t forget to water daily!

Pumpkins aren’t just great vessels for flowers. Check out our Instagram reels for a pumpculent (that’s a pumpkin filled with succulents!) tutorial! And if you’re not up for DIY but want a pumpkin - give us a ring. We’d be delighted to make one for you!