Halloween Flowers in Pumpkins

Gather near, little goblins, for I have a tale to tell to all of you who dream of casting a spectacular spell over an October tablescape with a centerpiece featuring Halloween flowers in pumpkins.  There are a few secrets the pumpkinmaster needs to share.

• Remember that the more cuts you make in the pumpkin, the more quickly it is likely to deteriorate.  If you can get away with just removing the top, you will prolong the longevity of your living orange arrangement holder.  If you get slash-happy, your pumpkin will shrivel, die, turn gross and haunt you.
• Your flowers will need plenty of water.  Give it to them via wet florist foam and something to place the foam in, whether it’s a little container or simply plastic.
• A flower arrangement doesn’t always have to include “flowers.”  The one above, a gift from my lady friends, has giant pieces of fresh kale, sprays of fall leaves, and a glittered assortment of peacock feathers, spiders and random sprays without a single bloom.
• Use special tools to carve your pumpkin.  They are well-designed for the task and will reduce the chances of  dripping blood, which is always a good thing, unless you’re looking at it from a vampire’s perspective.
• Using a hidden metal stand is a smart move, as I will explain in a moment.
• For a truly smart, long-lasting arrangement, remove the seeds and the pulp from your pumpkin, then coat the empty inside with melted paraffin wax.  Ingenious, isn’t it?

This bouquet was made by Lee, my floral designer friend at Whole Foods.  Lee has been a wizard with plants and flowers for at least the last two decades I have known him.  You can’t even see the hidden metal stand underneath, but it allowed Lee to make the arrangement horizontal, as I wished, so it wouldn’t block the ghoulish faces of my dinner fiends.  By using the simple metal stand, he kept the pumpkin from rolling around.  Brilliant. It also prevented the pumpkin from touching the table runner.

Lee crafted this arrangement just before Halloween.  By capturing the colors of the season without tying it to All Hallows Eve, and by sealing the inside of the pumpkin with wax to prolong its life, I ended up with a perfect transitional bouquet that looked just right on my November table, too.  From the sage leaves to the rich autumn-colored callas, it was magnificent!