DIY Fall Succulent Display

4 Materials
$20
2 Hours
Easy

Succulents have easily become my favorite plants to have around my house. I love all the different shapes, sizes, textures and colors they come in. One thing I have learned with succulents is they can be very fragile, finicky and hard to keep alive. I discovered faux succulents and found the perfect little diy to display them.

Materials

When I saw this styrofoam pumpkin at the Dollar Store, the light turned on. I knew what I was going to do. Display my faux succulents in them.


First- gather your materials.

•foam pumpkin (s)

•white spray paint

•faux succulents

•knife or box cutter


That’s all you’ll need.

Spray Paint

Next, I removed the green stems. They were held on with toothpicks so they came off pretty easily. Then I applied 3 coats of white spray paint, making sure to coat both the top and the underneath sides. I waited about 30 minutes between each coat for them to dry. I happen to really like white pumpkins. You can paint them any color you choose or even leave them orange.

Remove the Top

Once the paint is dry you can choose if you want a circle cut into the top of the pumpkin or not. The stems of the faux succulent plants will stick into the foam. I did find that the foam gets stiff once it has been painted. This is why I decided to cut out the top center. Another thing to consider is the length of the stems and how big the individual succulents are. With the foam being a little more fragile I found that it was easier to have the hole.

Faux Succulents

I found these succulents on Amazon for about $13 for the package of about 15 life-like faux succulents. There are a lot of different options out there to choose from. You can find faux succulents anywhere from craft stores to Target or Walmart and even the dollar store. You’ll want a wide range of sizes and textures to make it look more natural and pleasing to the eye.

Arranging the Succulents

When arranging the succulents you’ll want to think about thrillers, fillers and spillers. Thrillers are succulents that stand out, stand taller or are more full than the others. Spillers are succulents that “spill” over the edge. They may be running succulents or any that cascade or fall over the edge of the top. Your fillers fill in the empty spaces. I like to put my thriller in first. Then my spillers and finish off with the fillers.

Finishing Up

I like to move the placing of the succulents around in the pumpkin and look at it from different angles to see if they look full, even or just right. I look for holes that are too big, if the placing looks lopsided and that the spillers are cascading nicely down the pumpkin.

Styling

The last thing to do is to style your cute pumpkin base succulents. I love that I don’t have to worry about watering them for two reasons- the first i don’t have to worry about over or under watering. The second, I don’t have to worry about water leaking or spilling and damaging my wood furniture. The other fabulous thing is I can change the base for the seasons.

Placement

The beautiful thing about faux plants, besides the worry of watering is I can place them anywhere in my house. Even in low light areas and they survive. I love being able to move them around with my decor and the option to style them anywhere in my house, on my porch or even the back patio.


This project made two pumpkins full of succulents. It was easy to do and didn’t require any special skills or equipment. These are my favorite diys. If you’d like to see more of what we do and how we style our projects head to our Instagram page for more inspiration. @therefininghome

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Joleen | The Refining Home
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Frequently asked questions
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  1 question
  • Vickie Meinen Vickie Meinen on Oct 26, 2020

    Is that why these pumpkins look textured? (The melting factor of spray paint) I thought there was a step missing. I like it!

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