To add easy to add an autumnal or Halloween theme your flower arrangements by using pumpkin and squash as containers.

Autumn is a time of wondrous colours and textures, providing the flower arranger with a wealth of materials.

Gourds and squash grow in a myriad of colours and are superb for creating a theme to celebrate the season or perhaps dress a Halloween party table.  Use them in a display or as containers to instantly theme your autumn floral arrangement.

We picked two harlequin squash, an irresistable miniature munchkin pumpkin and a soup bowl sized pumpkin for our displays. These British grown squash were in our local Morrisons supermarket and cost £2.50 in total.

A wander round the garden yielded an armful of branches, foliage and a few of the last flowers from the border. These were put into water straight away to help keep them fresh.

The tops were cut from the squash and the insides scooped out, keeping some of the seeds to grow our own next year and the flesh to make a nice warming pumpkin soup.  It is best to do this a week or so before you want to use them for the arrangements, as they can be allowed to dry, avoiding them turning smelly and sticky inside.

We placed small containers inside the squash, made from yoghurt pots and small dishes.  Putting water directly inside the squash will make it rot.

A small amount of florists oasis was put into each bowl and filled with water.

Using a pumpkin easily themes your arrangement

Golden autumn arrangement

For our first golden arrangement, we took the larger soup bowl sized squash and started by inserting three achillea seed heads, a couple of Blue Hobbit eryngium springs and three calendula flowers.

Blue and orange being at opposing ends of the colour spectrum, always work well together.

A large ficus japonica leaf gives an airy arrangement a little more structure and texture, whilst a piece of variegated fuschia gives height.

The rest was filled in with delicate golden thalictrum leaves and variegated fuschia, with one or two small feathery achillea leaves helping to hide the oasis.

Using the pumpkin as a container for this display, easily gives it a late autumn feel.

Pink Harlequin squash display

A few pink achillea, potentilla and escalonia flowers were still blooming, so these were used in the pink arrangement.

A harlequin squash with all the colours of autumn created the base and the arrangement centred around the three pink and purple achillea flowers placed to the centre and sides.

A sprig of escalonia and purple acer give a bit of height.

Small pink potentilla flowers are used around the base and the rest of the display infilled using the variegated fuschia, which has amazing pink tinges to its leaves.

Ideal for a Halloween party table.

Halloween table arrangement

Halloween gives the opportunity to have a bit of fun with flower arrangements and the next display is simply a branch from our miniature lilac, placed into the melon like harlequin squash.

We surrounded the base with small pieces of variegated pieris and then cut out some bats and witches from a piece of black card, threaded them with sewing thread and hung them from the branches.

Members of our website can download an A4 Halloween sillhouettes PDF.  These are designed to be printed on white card. (You may need a black marker pen for the reverse or simply stick two together).

Small Munchkin pumpkin arrangement

Tiny munchkin pumpkins are only about 10cm in diameter but  a few leaves from the purple acer are a dark but delicate contrast to this cute orange pumpkin.

To give a little colour, a single white Iceberg rose was inserted centrally, with a couple of pale lemon flowers from the summer argryanthemums.

This arrangement is only about 20cm high and wide and ideal where space is limited or for a seasonal table decoration.

Small flower arrangements can be just as effective as large displays, if not more so and they only use one or two flowers, making them incredibly cost effective.  They make ideal home made autumn gifts.

Watering your Halloween flowers

Because the oasis is in smalls bowls of water, keep an eye on moisture levels and top up regularly, especially in warmer rooms.

Halloween floral displays such as these are easy to create and a cost effective way of decorating your home.

Flowers and foliage for autumn flower arrangements are available from your florists, many of them are from British growers. Add to these from your garden or country hedgerows to create some stunning seasonal displays.