Pumpkin Flower Arrangement

Video Transcription 

Welcome to the Flower School .com video library. I'm Leanne Kesler, Director of the Floral Design Institute. Today, I'm going to share with you how to make a contemporary pumpkin flower arrangement. 

You may recognize this pumpkin because I used it in a Tulip Tuesday to show you how to prepare. If you missed it, you'll find it on YouTube. Just type in pumpkin Tulip Tuesday, and it'll come right up. In a nutshell, I wanted to keep the handle. I thought the stem was just beautiful. So rather than cutting the normal top, I cut a hole in the side. Then I sprayed it with Pam cooking spray to make sure that it stays as long as possible, placed in a liner so that it protected the foam, then just set the foam right down inside. 

To keep with the essence of autumn, I'm not going to use green foliage. Instead, I'm going with some dyed, preserved eucalyptus in that beautiful coppery brown, giving it a cut, and letting it trail out. Even the small bits can tuck in to help cover the foam. I've got some different colors so to add interest, letting it drape over, breaking the line of the container, or the pumpkin as it may be. And then, to add a little more vibrancy, some Leucadendron, safari sunset. And that's my first flower that I start to fill in. 

With the form established and the mechanics starting to be hidden, next is to fill in the focal emphasis. I'm going to use some cherry brandy roses because they have the essence of the season as well, tucking them in low, and then coming out a little further as well, shadowing one below the other, then chrysanthemums. They are autumn. And I have spray mums as well as disbuds, combining the different varieties, so long-lasting. Finding a hole and just tucking it down in and then filling in, making sure you turn it. It looks good from the front or the back because here's our handle. We don't want to lose that. Make sure to bring some flowers around so that no matter which side they're looking, it looks beautiful. 

As I worked, I actually set it on a turntable because yes, this created my focal emphasis with the roses, but it goes all the way around. I have a focal emphasis on this side as well with the stem. The final touch is just to add a little bit more movement. For that, taking some dried branches and just inserting them in, securing it on one side, bringing it around, inserting it on the opposite side, creating some movement and space, repeating that, thinking about the fact that there are two fronts, not a back. Finding a hole, there we go. Then maybe one more piece, just bringing it up through the center, and then turning, making sure that all your mechanics are concealed. 

To create this pumpkin flower arrangement, I used half a bunch of the preserved eucalyptus. Now, it was different colors, so it was several bunches that I just kind of picked and pulled from. Then five of the cherry brandy roses, five stems of spray mum, three stems of the disbuds, and then seven stems of the leucadendron. The vine was some bittersweet. It didn't have berries, but it's three stems of bittersweet. And as you can see, it makes a wonderful design from all sides. 

The autumn season, with the abundance of materials, is one of my favorites. Although, who am I kidding? I love all the seasons. But working with a pumpkin is grand fun. You'll find more creative inspiration at our website Flower School .com. If you have questions, you can reach us through there or pick up the telephone and call us at (503) 223-8089. Now I challenge you find the perfect pumpkin, create your favorite design, then be sure to take a picture, post it on social media and tag Floral Design Institute. That way we all can see what you do as you do something you love.