Succulent Pumpkins and Gourds

I love the idea of pumpkins and gourds being containers for plants. But if you’ve ever tried digging one out and planting it….it looks good for a week if you’re lucky, but then the gourd starts to rot and out goes the entire thing! So, I experiment with using a non-cut gourd and sphagmum moss and it works beautifully! You end up with a gorgeous arrangment that will last as long as the gourd….so for a month or longer!

MATERIALS

Pumpkin or gourd

Succulents

Natural sphagnum moss

Hot glue

Spray bottle

Ok, let’s talk moss. Not all moss is created equal. You’ll see lots of options at the craft store, including Reindeer, Spainish and sheet moss. You really want the sphagnum, as that is going to clump like you’ll need. Make sure that it’s natural, as the preserved or dyed moss won’t hold moisture as well.

Decide on where you want your arrangement. What side looks the best? Which side sits flat? Where does the coloring look good? Once you’ve made that call, use the hot glue to attach a clump of moss where you want your succulents. You want a pretty thick clump, so you may find you need to add one clump, and then add an additional clump on top secured with more hot glue. Better to go too big, than not big enough, you can always give it a hair cut later with a pair of scissors.

Prepare your succulents. You can obviously go out and but them, but this is also a good opportunity to thin out or prune any you have growing at home. Remove all of the dirt and cut the stems so you’ve got a couple of inches left. A few remaining roots are nice, but not necessary.

Decide on your arrangement. You can do something free form and organic or something more architectural like I did here. Now insert the stems into the moss, if your moss is dense enough, they should hold on their own. If they need a little help staying in place, add a drop of hot glue to the stem or use a wire “U” pin (you can also just clip of the bent end of a paper clip if you need to).

Once everything’s in place, spray the moss with water using the spray bottle. The moss will hold enough moisture for the succulents and eventually the roots will grow into the moss holding everything in place. When your gourd eventually starts to soften in a month or two, simply remove the moss arrangement and hot glue it onto another gourd!