Arrangements Made With Pumpkins & Flowers

Jack-o-Lantern

• Jack-o-lanterns give a face to Halloween whether it is scary or comical. Clean out your pumpkin and carve the face. Set a clear glass vase inside it. The top of the vase should nearly reach the top edge of the pumpkin. Arrange twigs with autumn leaves, seed pods and yellow or purple mums in the vase. Complete the centerpiece by placing a battery-powered tea light through the mouth of the pumpkin.

White Pumpkin

• A beautiful autumn arrangement begins with a white pumpkin. Cut a lid from the top, discard it and then hollow out the pumpkin. Wedge a piece of florist's foam oasis in it with the top of the oasis extending a couple of inches above the top edge of the pumpkin. You are now ready to make your arrangement, choosing from a mixture of orange roses, Gerbera daisies, sunflowers, statice and mums. Cut your stems to the desired length and insert them into the oasis. Add some greens and autumn leaves. Finish the arrangement with a few trailing twigs of bittersweet berries.

Small Grouping

• Tiny pumpkins make a charming grouping when they are combined with flowers. Remove the seeds from the pumpkins, scraping the insides clean. Place a waterproof container inside each of the pumpkins. Make small arrangements for each pumpkin using a few orange roses or mums. Add purple asters or statice with sprigs of bittersweet berries. Tuck a few brightly colored leaves between the flowers. The pumpkins can be grouped in a cluster on your table or set in a row beside each other with scattered autumn leaves around them.

Basket Arrangement

• Dark willow baskets are a good choice to use as a container for an autumn floral arrangement. Line the basket with a plastic container. Soak a large block of florist's oasis with water and place it inside the container. Cover the oasis with green ferns by securing their stems into the oasis. Insert a florist's wooden green stick into the bottom of a small carved pumpkin and insert the other end of the stick into the oasis. Place it toward the front of your basket, just a little off-center, so it is nestled on top of the ferns. Arrange purple delphiniums towards the back of the basket and fill the remaining space with a mixture of miniature sunflowers, orange roses or Gerbera daisies and white or colored mums. Place a battery-powered tea light inside the pumpkin.