Decorate for a Dollar
begin by carving out your pumpkin; find an empty glass jar that fits inside.
Got a dollar? That’s all you need to make a pretty arrangement for your Thanksgiving table.
You see, many grocery stores have pumpkins on sale right now—poor, little wanna-be Jack O’Lanterns that nobody bought to take home and carve. Because the stores need to make room for fresh produce, they’re often willing to sell these orange orbs at bargain prices.
Our local Publix had some beauties on sale last weekend for $1 each. I choose a nice, small pumpkin, took it home, removed the top, and cleaned out the innards. (I like to dry the seeds and then put them out for the birds, but I could’ve roasted and salted them for a yummy snack.)
Next, I filled a clean glass jar with water and put it inside the hollowed-out pumpkin. I added a saucer underneath, in case of leaks. Finally, I filled the jar with an assortment of materials from my yard, including dried grasses, berried stems, branches studded with colorful leaves, sprigs of ivy, and, for color, a few blooming mums. If you make your own ornamental pumpkin, and you have small children or pets, just avoid using potentially toxic berries or other plant parts indoors.
Voila–a handsome harvest arrangement that can last up to two weeks. All you’ll need to do is replenish the water as the cut flowers and foliage drink it up.
use autumn grasses, leaves, and flowers from the yard for your table top pumpkin, or buy a small autumn bouquet to arrange instead.
This is just one design idea. Come to the 2009 Southeastern Flower Show, and see what else we’ve got to share!
Lynn
Tags: design tips, Flowers, pumpkins, SE Flower Show