Pumpkin power!

It’s pumpkin season, so it felt right to use them in some way in my floral designs. There are so many varieties and colours but I opted for these mini white pumpkins. The beauty about this design is that you can adapt them in whatever way you wish, so making the design completely your own:

Ingredients

• Hypericum Mellow Romance
• Bloom Carnation Antique
• Sanguisorba of Red Dream
• Astrantia Prin Ballerina
• Eucalyptus

Here’s how I did it

• The first thing to do is check that your pumpkin will sit flat on a surface without rocking. Typically, none of mine did, so taking a kitchen knife I carefully sliced a thin part off the bottom so it would sit flat. Just be mindful, if you need to do this you will need to protect the surface it will sit on.

• The next step is to create the opening. Using a knife, carefully cut a circle around the stalk, the width of the opening you are looking to create. Be careful as pumpkin skin is quite thick, so some force will be required. I cut sections at a time.
• Remove the flesh, making sure you don’t take away too much.
• You are now ready to add the chicken wire. Very carefully,take a small amount of chicken wire and scrunch it into a ball. Please note, this is very sharp so use a tea towel when scrunching it up to protect your hands.
• Pop the wire into the pumpkin, pushing down any sharp ends. This chicken wire will help support the stems.
• Once the wire is in place, you are ready to top up your pumpkin with water and to start building your arrangement. Just remember, you can go for whatever design that takes your fancy. I’ve gone for a compact, posy type look but you could go bigger or for a more relaxed look if you wish.

Arranging the flowers and foliage

• Remove any foliage that will sit below the waterline, to help keep the water as clean as possible.
• Cut each stem at an angle, to maximise water absorption.
• I started with foliage, popping them through the wire to support and securely hold each stem in place. Once the majority of the wire was covered, I started adding the remainder of the flowers.

• I reduced the Astrantia Prin Ballerina and the Hypericum Mellow Romance down in size to make them less dominant and a bit more delicate – think of them as your filler type flower.
• Finally I added the carnations.

Tips

• Keep spinning the pumpkin around until you are happy with the design and that it’s balanced. A great tip is to take some pictures on your phone to check.

Enjoy your pumpkin carving and happy halloween in advance xx

With love and stay safe, Flowers and Lifestyle by Margot – 

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