Don’t Carve a Face Into Every Pumpkin: One Small Hole Turns It Into a Fall Planter
Mini pumpkins often end up painted, carved, or grouped untouched across a fall table, but their shape can hold another decoration once the stem comes out. A small opening creates enough room for a succulent, turning the pumpkin into a planter-shaped centerpiece without cutting away most of its top.
Homedit creator Brittney Smart paired white mini pumpkins with gray-green artificial succulents, using the contrast between the ribbed pumpkin and thick leaves as the main detail. Artificial stems also mean the greenery can come out once the pumpkin reaches the end of its life and return to another arrangement.
Opening size matters more than carving a perfect circle because the succulent needs enough support to sit against the pumpkin rather than disappear inside it. Smaller pumpkins can hold the plant close to the surface, while larger ones need a wider opening shaped around the leaves.
Start with the stem rather than cutting across the top
A white mini pumpkin provides the base, with its existing stem marking the area that will become the opening. Instead of removing a wide lid as you would for a jack-o’-lantern, this project keeps most of the pumpkin intact.
That smaller cut preserves the ridged shape around the succulent and makes the finished piece read as one object rather than a pumpkin holding a separate container.
Drill beside the stem to start the opening
Smart used a drill to make a pilot hole through the firm outer shell, positioning it near the stem while keeping the opening at the top when the pumpkin sits flat on the table.
The drill only establishes a starting point for the knife, so there is no need to create the full opening with the bit.
Carve a small circle around the top
Insert a pointed serrated knife into the pilot hole and cut around the stem, keeping the opening close to the size required by the succulent. Smart recommends removing about 1 to 1½ inches across the top rather than cutting a large lid.
Working from the pilot hole gives the blade an entry point through the shell and lets the opening follow the pumpkin’s existing shape.
Remove the stem and clear the center
Lift the cut section away, then remove the seeds and soft material beneath it until the opening leads into the hollow center. A spoon can help clear material that remains against the inside walls.
The succulent does not need the pumpkin prepared as a full planter because the example uses an artificial plant, so the goal is creating enough space for its stem.
Cut the succulent stem to fit the pumpkin
Measure the artificial stem against the depth of the opening before cutting it with wire cutters or tin snips. Leaving enough length helps anchor the plant inside without forcing the leaves against the pumpkin.
Flexible artificial stems can also be bent when the pumpkin has enough interior room to accommodate the excess length.
Set the succulent into the opening
Push the trimmed stem into the center until the bottom leaves meet the pumpkin’s surface. On a small pumpkin, the succulent can cover most of the opening while the white ribs remain visible around it.
A close fit also conceals the cut edge, making the greenery appear to emerge from the pumpkin itself.
Small pumpkins make the succulent look oversized
Pairing a compact pumpkin with a broad succulent changes the proportions, with the plant covering much of the top rather than sitting inside a visible opening.
That scale creates the effect of a botanical topper and keeps the project from resembling a conventional flowerpot.
Larger pumpkins need a wider opening
A second pumpkin with a thicker shell and wider body requires a different fit because the same succulent can look undersized if it sits above a narrow hole.
Rather than choosing a larger plant, the opening can be adjusted to let the succulent settle farther into the pumpkin.
Cut around the stem while keeping the opening controlled
Use the serrated knife to work around the stem without extending the cuts farther down the pumpkin than necessary. Following the top contours keeps most of the shell intact while separating the section that needs to come out.
Several shallow cuts offer more control than forcing the blade through the thick shell in one pass.
Pull out the top and remove the seeds
Lift the cut section by the stem, then scoop out the seeds and fibrous material beneath it. Clearing the cavity gives the artificial stem room to bend or extend below the opening.
The pumpkin remains almost complete from the outside because all of the work stays concentrated around the original stem.
A thicker shell changes how the plant sits
Larger mini pumpkins can have enough flesh around the opening to hold the succulent above the surface rather than letting its leaves meet the pumpkin.
Trim the inside edge where needed so the base of the plant can sit lower without widening the visible opening across the entire top.
Bend the stem before making more cuts
An artificial succulent with a long flexible stem can be bent to follow the cavity instead of being cut short. This preserves more of the stem for reuse after the pumpkin is discarded.
Test the fit before removing more pumpkin flesh, since a small stem adjustment may be enough to lower the leaves into place.
Set the succulent into the larger pumpkin
Once the opening fits the base, press the succulent down until the lower leaves cover most of the cut edge. The larger pumpkin leaves more white surface around the plant, giving it the proportions of a small planter.
No soil is required for the artificial greenery, while the stem remains hidden inside the hollow pumpkin.
Two pumpkin sizes create different proportions
One succulent spreads across a smaller pumpkin like a topper, while the larger pumpkin exposes more of its ribbed white body beneath the leaves. Using both sizes together keeps the arrangement varied without changing materials or colors.
Red berries add another fall color beside the muted green and white without competing with the shape of either pumpkin.
One hole changes what the pumpkin becomes
Finished pieces retain the recognizable pumpkin shape while the succulent occupies the spot where a stem would normally be. From the front, the carved opening disappears beneath the leaves, leaving little evidence of the seeds and hollow cavity underneath.
Once the pumpkin is finished for the season, the artificial succulent can be pulled out and saved for another project. Would you carve another face into a mini pumpkin, or turn the stem opening into a planter instead?