Easy DIY Stacked Pumpkin Topiary • Craving Some Creativity

This stacked pumpkin topiary is the cutest Halloween decoration for the front porch! Easy to make and fun for all ages, they light up and can be broken down for storage when not in use.

Close up of Stacked DIY Pumpkin Topiary for Halloween Front Door Decorations.

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I am a huge fan of Halloween and love to do all kinds of decorations to welcome trick-or-treaters. Every year, I add to our huge display of Outdoor Witch Decorations seen here. One of the first decorations I did were these lighted pumpkin topiaries!

Did I mention I still often dress up as a witch too?! We have such fun decorating the Halloween porch that getting dressed up in costume makes me feel like part of the action! Of course, these DIY pumpkin topiaries are the perfect sinister greeters for all the kids who dare come up to our door.

Supplies Needed

¾ inch dowel rod
Drill
¾ inch drill bit
Plastic pumpkin heads (3-7 depending on height)
Large Planter or Urn
Planter Filler – (Styrofoam + sand/dirt/gravel)
Spanish moss
Hand Saw – or other tool to cut the dowel rod to size.
Battery LED lights or flameless tea lights with remote (optional)

FAQs

Where can I find pumpkins for a DIY Pumpkin Topiary?

I got mine at Lowes years ago. However, there are several other options that are just as cute!
1. Carvable foam pumpkins from Amazon.
2. The Dollar Store and Michaels Craft Store sometimes has them.
3. Home Depot has had very similar ones in the past few years.
4. Plastic candy buckets.
* If your pumpkins aren’t able to be carved, decorate them in other ways like paint, flowers, stickers, or even glow in the dark paint.

Can I use real pumpkins?

For this tutorial, I generally do not recommend using real pumpkins. Carving them makes them rot faster and they generally won’t support the weight of the upper pumpkins well.

What lights are best?

Battery LED tea lights or small LED string lights are safest and easiest to manage. Regular candles can cause fire. If the lights can’t be inserted through the face, cut a small hole in the back. Keep the “cork” and replace it after insertion.

How To Make an Outdoor Pumpkin Topiary

Black planter filled with sand and spanish moss with wooden dowel for stacked pumpkin topiary

1. Setup an Anchor Pole

Insert the dowel rod into the planter, all the way to the bottom. To secure the dowel rod, fill the planter with Styrofoam (to lighten the weight) and sand or dirt or gravel to give stability. I added Spanish moss around the base for effect and the urn already has a drainage hole below.

Carvable pumpkin stacked on wooden dowel showing proper off-center placement.

2. Plan and Mark Pumpkins

Plan out how you want the pumpkins to stack and in which order. Mark areas for holes in the pumpkin head so that they stack nicely on top of each other at alternating angles. You can see what I mean by alternating angles above. However, if you have open tops instead of stems, you could do a straight stacked topiary.

Carvable orange pumpkin next to drill with hole drilled out for stacking on wooden dowel.

3. Drill Holes in Pumpkin Heads

Each pumpkin head, except for the top pumpkin, has a hole drilled through the top and bottom. You need to drill only the bottom hole for the top-most pumpkin head.

Wooden dowel protruding out of top of carvable pumpkin showing off-center placement.

4. Stack Pumpkins

I firmly pushed the pumpkins onto the stake and judged how much excess length to trim off the dowel rod. The dowel rods are pretty easy to cut with a handsaw or other cutting tool.

If your pumpkins have an open top (such as candy buckets) consider drilling a small hole at the bottom to drain any rainwater or keeping them in a covered area. You can tell the lowest point after putting the heads on the stakes.

Stacked Pumpkin Heads - Pumpkin Topiary for Halloween Front Door Decorations

5. Add Optional Lights

My pumpkins came with lights, but you can easily add simple flameless candle like these. If the lights can’t be inserted through the face, cut a small hole in the back. Keep the “cork” and replace it after insertion.

Quick alternatives (no power tools)

If you cannot drill, cut slits and slide a sturdy stake through, then hot glue layers in place. These methods work well with lightweight foam pumpkins.
Use pre-drilled Dollar Store buckets stacked and glued for a tool-free option.

Looking for more fun Halloween decorations? These are spooky fun!

Jack-o'-lanterns stacked on a diy pumpkin topiary and lit up for the night.

These little outdoor stacked pumpkins are a great way to greet the trick or treaters in your neighborhood. I was very happy with this project, and I love that it will last for years to come! Happy Haunting!

Weekend DIY project. A pegboard organizer in the craft room above the desk workspace.

More Halloween Ideas

PS I love seeing your creations! Be sure to take a photo and tag #cravingcreative on Instagram! You can also stay in touch with me through following me on Instagram, Pinterest, and subscribing to the newsletter!