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  4. 21 Creative Pumpkin Decorating Ideas For Your Front Porch

21 Creative Pumpkin Decorating Ideas For Your Front Porch

Kaitlyn Yarborough, Assistant Editor and Writer for Southern Living
By Kaitlyn Yarborough Updated September 29, 2021
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White Pumpkin Wreath
Credit: Laurey W. Glenn

Nothing can spruce up a Southern porch in the fall quite like pumpkins. We look forward to unloading the annual haul from the pumpkin patch, knowing well that we'll be picking up a few more here and there. We love pumpkins of all colors, whether bright orange, crisp white, or lovely green; we love short and squat pumpkins, tall and skinny pumpkins, bumpy and warty pumpkins, smooth and perfect pumpkins, mini pumpkins, giant pumpkins, and every pumpkin in between. When it's time to decorate the ins and outs of your home for autumn, these creative pumpkin decorating ideas will make your front porch look festive and positively full of fall.

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Graceful Garland

Lowcountry Charm
Credit: Ralph Anderson

A simple pine garland adds elegance to this fall display. And don't forget the pumpkins!

Designer Heather Barrie from Gathering Floral + Event Design started with a nagi garland, which you can buy from a florist, and then wired in coontie palm and holly fern fronds as well as crookneck gourds. Pedestal urns planted with crotons allow room below for pumpkins. This colorful houseplant is ideal for outdoor use where frost comes late. For an unexpected flourish, set pumpkins atop holly fern fronds and tuck in sprigs of yaupon holly berries.

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Mumkins

Carve Out a Mumkin
Credit: Hector Sanchez

Fall mums and fall pumpkins, combined into one stunning seasonal display? Catch us carving our pumpkins into DIY planters ASAP.

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Modern Farm

Seasonal Greens
Credit: Helen Norman; Styling: James Cramer

Sleek, black accessories add a modern spin on some very classic materials. Narrow zinc planters filled with both dried and fresh miscanthus foliage add height to the front door. Create a container focal point by tucking in pots of 'Wasabi' coleus and chartreuse sweet potato vines. Moonlight-hued pumpkins and gourds amp up the glow.

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Lush Stairs

More is More
Credit: Helen Norman

This front porch pairs pumpkins and bountiful cabbage for a gorgeous welcome—and an inspiring spot for porch sitting.

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Blooming Pumpkin

Create a Pumpkin Planter
Credit: Jim Franco

Forget the drab clay pot: This pumpkin pot shows off your blooms in seasonal style.

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Short and Stout

Jacob Dorsett and James Laughlin Georgia Exterior Makeover
Credit: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller

A short set of stairs is the perfect place for an abundance of pumpkins. Mix in pots of seasonal flowers and a colorful wreath to complete the inviting look.

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Pumpkin Votive Float

Pumpkin Votive Float
Credit: Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller

Miniature pumpkins and tea candles come together to create this stunning votive display that'll impress the neighbors.

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Pumpkin Containers

Plenty of Pumpkins
Credit: Helen Norman; Styling: P. Allen Smith

Wire urns set atop pedestals filled with pie pumpkins make for an easy accent piece on each side of your front door. Combinations of annuals, potted boxwoods, and heirloom pumpkins organize a lot of materials while achieving balance.

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Creative Carving

Creative Carving
Credit: Laurey W. Glenn

We love the mix of natural, uncarved pumpkins and intricately carved pumpkins with polka dots and scallop hems—it makes for a perfect balance!

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DIY Gourd Wreath

Create a DIY Gourd Wreath
Credit: Helen Norman

Hang a wreath to celebrate the fall season. This miniature pumpkin and gourd wreath can be your seasonal DIY project.

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Incorporate White Pumpkins

White Pumpkin Wreath
Credit: Laurey W. Glenn

White pumpkins add an unexpected and elegant twist up the steps and on the front door. To make the wreath, start with a store-bought grapevine wreath. Pick an odd number of white mini pumpkins. Attach pumpkins to florist picks, and then work the picks into the wreath, making sure to space them evenly. Secure pumpkins to the wreath with wire. Using additional florist picks, attach seasonal greenery (we used smilax) and bittersweet (available at your local garden center), filling in the spaces between pumpkins. Add an assortment of fall leaves to wreath with picks and wire for a colorful finish.

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Right at Home

Assemble a Personal Pumpkin Patch
Credit: Helen Norman

Find a nice large pumpkin to carve (or paint!) your house numbers on. Then, mix-and-match pumpkins to recreate the excitement of a trip to the pumpkin patch, right on your front steps. 

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Line Your Path

Cookie-Cutter Halloween Pumpkins
Credit: Southern Living

Vary pumpkins and glass jars down your walkway and light them at night for a gracious welcome to your front door. These pumpkins are carved out from the bottom for easy placement over votives.

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Line Your Steps

Line Your Steps
Credit: Helen Norman

There's a reason you see mums each fall—they work. Add an assortment of potted mums and various sized pumpkins up your front steps for a warm welcome. 

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Pumpkin Candle Holders

Simple Pumpkin Hurricanes
Credit: Laurey W. Glenn

If you love the look of hurricanes lining a front path, put an autumn spin on them by using oversize heirloom pumpkins in various shades of orange and green as bases—perfect for welcoming guests to a fall-themed party.

How To Make It: Simple Pumpkin Hurricanes

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Pumpkin Topiaries

Pumpkin Topiaries
Credit: Helen Norman

Vertical displays make a big statement at the front door. Tucking in cool-weather edibles such as ornamental flowering cabbages, kale, and bay leaves adds a distinctive twist. To create topiaries, sandwich bay wreaths between pumpkins stacked in concrete urns, and top with a small pumpkin. Finish your door with a bittersweet wreath. Be careful to dispose of seedheads in the garbage rather than the compost bin, as bittersweet is invasive in the garden. For a similar look, use rose hips, which are more eco-friendly.

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Pumpkin Patch Loving

Scattered Pumpkins
Credit: Helen Norman; Styling: P. Allen Smith

A variety of pumpkins in varying sizes and shapes are placed around this expansive porch. Hay Bales stand in for standard topiaries—giving height to the arrangement.

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Metallic Patterned Pumpkins

Metallic Painted Pumpkins
Credit: Southern Living

Get as creative as you want with these gold and black painted pumpkins. Vary not only the size and shape, but the pattens as well.

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Get Spooky

Wreath of Halloween Pumpkins
Credit: Southern Living

A full pumpkin wreath is hung with long black ribbon. When Halloween gets closer, add some more black ribbon and a giant spider to your front porch columns.

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Rustic Stacks

Bright Pumpkins

A mix of uniquely colored pumpkins and a grouping of stools makes for a rustic display at the front of the house. A few fall leaves and cabbages complete the look.

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Well Lit Front Door

Halloween Pumpkins Topiary
Credit: Southern Living

Faux pumpkins are the way to go with this bright topiary. Carve out holes at the top and bottom of the two lower pumpkins and fill with string lights. Once stacked and secured, place on top of your favorite container and fill in with fake leaves. 

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    1 of 21 Graceful Garland
    2 of 21 Mumkins
    3 of 21 Modern Farm
    4 of 21 Lush Stairs
    5 of 21 Blooming Pumpkin
    6 of 21 Short and Stout
    7 of 21 Pumpkin Votive Float
    8 of 21 Pumpkin Containers
    9 of 21 Creative Carving
    10 of 21 DIY Gourd Wreath
    11 of 21 Incorporate White Pumpkins
    12 of 21 Right at Home
    13 of 21 Line Your Path
    14 of 21 Line Your Steps
    15 of 21 Pumpkin Candle Holders
    16 of 21 Pumpkin Topiaries
    17 of 21 Pumpkin Patch Loving
    18 of 21 Metallic Patterned Pumpkins
    19 of 21 Get Spooky
    20 of 21 Rustic Stacks
    21 of 21 Well Lit Front Door

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