DIY Pumpkin Bouquet

Making a beautiful pumpkin or squash flower arrangement for your autumn decor is a cute, creative, mindful and fun activity to get into the spirit of the season, and it's also a lot easier to do than you might imagine...

We're particularly fond of this method as you don't actually damage the insides of your pumpkin or squash, so you can eat it after too!

You will need:

- 1 Pumpkin or squash (with a stem)

- 1 block of Eco-friendly floral foam

- A bunch of flowers, herbs and leaves (where possible, consciously foraged and/or from potted plants that will grow back)

- Container or tray with water

- Knife

- Pair of scissors

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Method:

1. Using a knife, cut your floral foam to size and place in a large container of water. Leave it set in to soak up the water. You may need to flip after a few minutes for full absorption - This is what will keep your bouquet fresh.

2. Once fully absorbed, push your floral foam through the stem of the pumpkin to secure.

3. Begin decorating, adding your leaves first, followed by flowers and herbs. It does tend to look a little iffy in the early stages, but just keep going until you fill up all the gaps.

Tips:

• Shop around for an eco-friendly floral foam, some contain a horrendous amount of plastic.

• Where possible, consciously forage and/or consider using potted flowers rather than cut. This way you can continue to let your living plant grow after cutting a few for your arrangements.

• Consider using flowers and herbs that connect you to this season - think about the colours, the scents, what they represent, what’s in season and such

• Don’t rush - take your time to enjoy this mindful crafting session, allow yourself to unwind in the process. Be present in your creation.

• Let your creativity flow! There is no right or wrong way to do this. However it turns out is perfect.

• Use aromatic herbs - In mine I like to use lavender and rosemary to bring these beautiful scents and healing properties into the home. Cinnamon sticks and cloves also work very nicely for this time of year too

• This is a good method for making an arrangement where you will be able to use the pumpkin/ squash after too - either to make another floral arrangement, or make a spooky carving or eat. Reuse your pumpkin/ squash after and compost the rest!

• You could also give this a try using dried flowers, leaves and herbs - Just don't soak your floral foam!

* These arrangements tend to last around a week or two*

Enjoy!

Photos: Camille Bieber (1 & 3) / Mica Francis-Angel (2 & 4)