Pumpkin Mania

‘Autumn at the Arboretum’ Photo courtesy of the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden

Halloween may have come and gone, but we’ve another full month of design and decor opportunities to enjoy heirloom and specialty pumpkins.

Check out this month’s story, which appears in SuperFloral magazine, which declares these stylish pumpkins “have sparked demand like never before.” In it, we track the pumpkin’s move from grocery produce bins to fabulous floral department displays.

THE FASHIONABLE PUMPKIN

According to Johnny’s Selected Seeds, a major vegetable and flower seed supplier based in Winslow, Maine, pumpkins have been a significant fall harvest crop for over 5,000 years.
Edible pumpkins (Cucurbita pepo and C. maxima) are native to North America. Uncommon Italian, French and Australian varieties have also made their way into autumn’s diverse pumpkin palette of colors, sizes, shapes, suitable for carving, baking, seed roasting and even oil extraction. Thanks to breeding and heirloom seed preservation, the Halloween Jack-o’-lantern is ready for the runway as a fashionable decor element that appeals to floral customers.
While a popular symbol of traditional fall, harvest and holiday decorations, the creativity that pumpkins offer are endless. You can inspire customer demand by elevating pumpkins as a value-added item.
This report introduces several display and merchandising ideas through the Thanksgiving holiday season. Regardless of your available space or scale of ambition, there is a pumpkin decor concept for you here.

They are a great Thanksgiving tablescape piece — long-lasting decorations through November, and many people leave them out through Christmas, especially the white pumpkins —
Katie Elliott, My Garden Overfloweth

Read the full article here: The Fashionable Pumpkin

Succulents and pumpkins combine for beautiful and unexpected seasonal decor.

Step-by-Step: Decorate a Pumpkin with Succulents

Materials:
Pumpkin with a short or curved stem
Decorative sheet moss
A selection of succulents and sedum cuttings

Tools:
Floral clippers or snips
Oasis floral adhesive glue or Glue gun

Step One
Tear or cut sections of sheet moss so there is enough to cover the “top” of a pumpkin. The moss should fill the area where succulents will be placed.

Step Two
Working quickly, apply glue to the pumpkin in a circular pattern. Press moss sections into the glued area, creating a base for succulents.

Step Three
Take small cuttings of sedum plants and cut larger “rosette-style” succulents away from stems (remove soil with a brush or paper towel). Determine the arrangement of plants and cuttings before you begin to glue and attach them to the pumpkin.

Step Four
Begin with the first “focal” succulent, such as a larger rosette (Sempervivum or Echeveria). Squeeze glue onto the back of the piece and press into place. Continue with each cutting, pressing it into place and hiding smaller stems under larger succulents.

Step Five
Allow glue to dry overnight before moving or displaying. The succulents will produce aerial roots that will anchor into the moss. Spray with a light mist once a week. If you display the pumpkins outside under a covered porch, the succulents will draw moisture from the air and can be misted less frequently. When the pumpkin loses its shape or begins to decay, you can gently remove the succulents and replant them.

Debra Prinzing

Debra Prinzing is a Seattle-based writer, speaker and leading advocate for American-grown flowers. Through her many Slow Flowers-branded projects, she has convened a national conversation that encourages consumers and professionals alike to make conscious choices about their floral purchases. Debra is the producer of SlowFlowers.com, the weekly "Slow Flowers Podcast" and the American Flowers Week (June 28-July 4) campaign. Debra is author of 11 books, including Slow Flowers (2013), The 50 Mile Bouquet (2012) and Slow Flowers Journal (2020). She is the co-founder of BLOOM Imprint, the boutique publishing arm of Slow Flowers.

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For more information, please contact Debra Prinzing
at 206-769-8211 or 844-SLOWFLO (844-756-9356); debra(at)slowflowers.com.