Make a Pumpkin Planter

1. Round up seasonal offerings from your local garden center. We chose ornamental kale, pansies, and 'Toffee Twist' sedge along with thyme, apple mint, and ivy.
2. Prepare the pumpkin by cutting a generous top opening, hollowing the orb, drilling a drainage hole, and half-filling it with a potting mix made for use in container gardens (don't use garden soil).
3. Add plants, then water thoroughly.
4. Place your new planter on an empty birdbath, then tuck in some oak leaves, broom corn, and corn tassels around the pumpkin's base for a charming skirt.
5. Complete the arrangement with the eccentric beauty of heirloom pumpkins and squashes as well as pear-shape gourds.

Tip: Heirloom squash varieties are time-tested plants passed down through generations of gardeners -- and they're great for adding seasonal color. The varieties shown here include 'Galeux d'Eysines' (a dessert squash with peanut-like warts), 'Long Island Cheese' (the somewhat flat, buff-color squash; it's ideal for pies), and 'Musque de Provence' (the deeply ribbed type with a pale ochre color).