Here we are, over halfway through September and fall is finally here. We here at Parkview Nursery welcome fall with several different decorating techniques. We are obsessed with homegrown Mums that can be intermixed within fall annual containers and with fall décor pieces, but be sure to leave room for one of our favorites, pumpkins! Pumpkins are a great option for fall decorating because they are affordable (especially if you have grown your own crop), and incredibly versatile as far as what a person can do with them.
If you are like me, the art of carving pumpkins is not my strong suite so I stick to what I know, decorating. Several items to have on hand when decorating your pumpkins are paint, brushes, mod podge, glitter, tissue paper, and optional accessories for your pumpkin to wear if you want a funky jack-o-lantern. With these few items you can create a whole assortment of different pumpkins. I’ll go over three different decorative pumpkins. One for fall, one for Thanksgiving and one for Halloween.
FALL
For a beautiful fall pumpkin that will last the entire season, start by making polka dots on your pumpkin with mod podge; make them as big or small as you want then with colored tissue paper or glitter. Use several colors of your choice or stick with one color to keep it simple. You can paint or use marker to include a greeting such as “Welcome Fall” or “It’s Fall” on your pumpkin.
THANKSGIVING
For Thanksgiving, you can continue with the painting medium and paint an intricate design on your pumpkin with a greeting of “Thankful”, “Harvest Blessings”, or “Give Thanks”. Choose a pumpkin that has some character and add some abstract designs or fun colored flowers around your greeting to finish off the look.
* Extra Tip – You can wash your pumpkins with diluted bleach water before painting, extending the shelf life of your decorative pumpkin.
HALLOWEEN
Last but not least is our Halloween pumpkin. This technique is the easiest of all because it’s akin to playing with a Mr. Potato Head. We have pumpkin accessories available at Parkview, such as mustaches and funky glasses, which simply need to be pushed into your pumpkin. We also have tree face décor available that can double as pumpkin décor. There are even NFL-themed faces for all of you football fans out there. This is fast, easy and clean.
If after all your decorating shenanigans you still decide to carve your pumpkin, go for it! There is no right or wrong way to decorate with pumpkins. You can keep it simple by collecting unique varieties of pumpkins/gourds and displaying them as is, showing off their colorful shapes and sizes, or you can change it up and decorate them with paints and accessories. There are so many fun varieties out there you are sure to find the perfect pumpkin for all of your decorating needs this fall. Happy pumpkin decorating!
