DIY Fall Pumpkin Terrarium
Fall is such a warm, inviting, cozy time of year, and fall décor inherently reflects that. If you love the spicy warmth of pumpkin orange mixed with a little bit of crispness, you’re going to love creating your very own (faux) pumpkin patch in a dome.
This DIY is kind of like a fall-time terrarium…in which nothing will ever die. Interested? Good. Because this one’s so easy, you’re going to love it.
Materials Needed:
- Clear glass cake stand + dome (aka “cloche”)
- Moss
- Pumpkin picks (number and size should be proportionate to your cake stand)
- Yellow leafy floral pick that resembles gingko leaves
- Tin snips (not shown)
How to create a beautiful fall terrarium:
Step One: Add the moss
Begin by spreading moss onto your cake stand. Keep the moss centered and relatively loose at this point. You can easily add more later. Tip: Choose a bright green moss (there are typically many hues available in the floral section of your local craft store) to add a fresh, vibrant foundation to your pumpkin patch.
Step Two: Prep the pumpkin
Cut the stems off of your pumpkin picks using tin snips.
Try to get as close as you can to the bottom of your pumpkins with the tin snips so there is very little, if any, stem exiting the pumpkin.
Step Three: Add pumpkins
Arrange your pumpkin picks on the moss. Feel free to move the moss aside and rest the pumpkins directly onto your glass cake stand to avoid making your pumpkin patch too tall for the dome.
Step Four: Layer colors
It’s a good idea to opt for at least three different colors of pumpkin picks – orange, of course, and something lighter and something either darker or just plain different. This green squash here falls under the “different” category easily, which adds visual interest to the vignette.
Step Five: Arrange moss
Arrange the moss toward the center of your cake stand with enough space around the edge that the dome will fit easily.
Step Six: Leaves
You could call it good at this point, but this example incorporates a little height by way of a golden yellow floral leaf stem. The leaves are round and flat and add a nice bit of height and color inside the dome. Cut a small piece off the stem.
If you have enough room in your now-mini stem, bend it so the stem will rest easily on the glass cake stand.
Thread your bent stem end into the moss somewhere along the side of your pumpkin patch so that the leaves will sort of drape over the pumpkins after the dome is placed.
The stem can be held in place nicely (and hidden better) when it’s tucked underneath one of the pumpkins, then covered with a little extra moss.
(You can see here the added height and visual interest that the yellow floral stem leaves add to the pumpkin patch overall.)
Step Seven: Final Touches
Move any last bits of moss toward the center with your fingers to make room for the dome.
When the dome is placed, use your fingers or a spare piece trimmed off the picks to carefully swipe away any bits of moss that may have gotten caught under the dome.
And there you have it. Your own little fake pumpkin patch that aims to please, all season long.
The cake stand and dome create a beautifully contained, terrarium-esque vibe to this autumn vignette.
And, although the picks are fake pumpkins, the bed of bright green moss give the illusion of a fresh and bountiful harvest.
Tip: Vary the size, shape, and color of your pumpkin/squash/gourd picks to tell a richer, more complete story of fall.
Enjoy creating your own DIY domed pumpkin patch, but enjoy even more displaying it all season long.