I like to use pumpkins of various sizes and colors to serve as vases. It's easy as pie to cut an opening in the top and insert a potted flowering plant. Consider using mums, cyclamen, azaleas, kalanchoe or ornamental peppers. Another alternative is to buy an inexpensive supermarket bouquet, whack off most of the stems and insert it inside the pumpkin. Or pop the flowers in a plastic or glass jar and insert this inside the pumpkin. Measure in advance to cut a hole that fits the pot or container.
Big pumpkins can easily hold a pot of mums or azaleas. I especially like to use the blue-gray pumpkins as a novel accent. Miniature plants such as tiny cyclamens, kalanchoes or polka dot plants look charming nestled inside small pumpkins. These are also suitable for the "kid's table."
Other natural materials such as Indian corn, gourds and pinecones can be used to decorate mantles, coffee tables or buffet tables. When in doubt, simply fill a wicker basket with these beautiful objects and you have an instant centerpiece.
Plants shown in this segment are courtesy of Tagawa Gardens.