Halloween is right around the corner and many gardeners are decorating pumpkins for the holiday. A fun way to decorate is to make a pumpkin planter filled with succulents.
Pumpkins make great containers for succulents, and succulents don't need much care in the pumpkin. It makes a great display for Halloween and centerpiece for the table afterward. Here's how to works. Select white or orange, small or medium-sized pumpkins. Cut out the top as you would when making a jack-o'- lantern. Leave the “guts” and seeds inside.
Select an assortment of small- to medium-sized succulents, such as echeveria, sedum and aloe, and plant them in the hole in the pumpkin. Add more potting soil, only if there's not enough soil in the pots to fill the hole. Leave the insides of the pumpkin intact because the moisture will help keep the succulents roots moist. Keep your succulent planters in a cool room, but don't let them get touched by frost. Add a little water only as needed. Once the pumpkins start softening, simply remove the succulents and pot them into a planter for winter and compost the pumpkin.
You can also not cut the pumpkin, Take a 4- to 6- inch diameter clear plastic tray, make a slit to the center and cut out a small hole. Wrap the tray around the pumpkin stem. Place small succulents into the tray adding extra potting soil as needed. Cover the tray and succulent roots with moss. Fasten the succulent roots, plastic tray, and moss to the pumpkin with U-shaped, floral wire pins. Water as needed.
