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How to make a natural gourd topiary

Introduction

To make this fall porch decoration, we stacked three pumpkins in a planter and then adorned the pumpkins in vines, greenery, baby's breath, and some feathers.

Step 1

How to make a natural gourd topiary

Paint and Prepare

In order to stack the pumpkins, break the stem off the bottom two pumpkins. Or cut holes in the bottom of the top two gourds. Paint the pumpkins if you wish.

Step 2

How to make a natural gourd topiary

Wrap in vine

On a painter's tarp, lay out all the gourds and greenery. Start with the bottom of the gourd, unroll the vine and cut a piece to go around the bottom of the gourd, letting some stick out of the bottom a bit. Use u-pins to hold it in place.

Step 3

How to make a natural gourd topiary

Wrap in green

Cut a piece of the boxwood greenery and place it under the vine twigs, use pins to hold it in place.

Stage 4

How to make a natural gourd topiary

Add feathers

Place three of the five bundles of feathers around the vine. You may want to use the scissors and cut off most of the stem and then tuck the rest between the gourd and the vine. Use a hot glue gun (medium heat) to hold it in place.

Step 5

How to make a natural gourd topiary

Add flowers

Cut pieces of the flowers and their greenery, then tuck them into the vine around the base and glue them in place.

Step 6

How to make a natural gourd topiary

Fill in with baby's breath

Use dried flowers to fill in the rest, make sure some pieces hang over the edge of the urn.

Step 7

How to make a natural gourd topiary

Dress up the other pumpkins

Repeat the steps on the top two pumpkins, but don't use as much decoration as you did on the base pumpkin.

Step 8

Fill the urn

We used our tarp not only as a work surface, but placed it on the bottom of the urn to bring the height of the pumpkins closer to the top of the urn. If a tarp doesn't work, try rocks, packing peanuts, or old towels. Place the pumpkins in the urn on the tarp, allowing it to sink slightly into the center of the tarp. Make sure none of the tarps or inside edges of the urn are showing.

Step 9

How to make a natural gourd topiary

Fill in where necessary

When everything is in place, fill in the blanks with more flowers, feathers, or even birds.