11 Easy Tips For Decorating With Mums And Pumpkins

Fall is such a beautiful time of year! The leaves have changed, and the decorations bring so much color into our lives! In this post, I want to share 11 easy tips for decorating with mums and pumpkins. I want to also share some other cute ideas to take your courtyard or porch from summer to fall in only a couple of hours!

This post is about easy tips for decorating with mums and pumpkins.

Fall front door with a wreath, orange garland, mums and pumpkins

Fall Decorating With Mums

If you have been following me here on the blog or on my Instagram for a while, you may know that I love to decorate our home with a beautiful array of colors and textures every season.

I think fall is the best time to decorate and have fun with its beautiful flowers, pumpkins, and candles! There are so many colors to incorporate the warm fall feeling we love into our daily life.

Arched front door with a fall wreath, garland, mums and pumpkins

You can even add your touch to your designs and bring out your personality! Every room inside and outside of your home is an opportunity to celebrate this wonderful time of year! Decorating with mums and pumpkins is not that hard and it transform your porch or courtyard to a Fall sanctuary! Our courtyard displays a celebration of orange and pink fall harvest and details that add beauty and style to our space! I hope these tips will be helpful for you!

Easy Tips For Decorating With Mums And Pumpkins

1. Start With Colorful Mums

Decorating with mums and pumpkins by our front door

Buying colorful mums is one of the first steps toward a fun fall display. You can choose any kind of fall flowers for your outdoor fall decor. I bought these beautiful pink mums and yellow mums from Home Depot. Our local Home Depot has the nicest potted mums and many other great flowers that are my fall favorites.

Some of the other flowers to choose from for the harvest season are Black Eyed Susan, Croton, Marigolds, and Million Bells. If you are a big fan of potted mums (like me) and want to bring color to your front porch, then you need some colorful mums and a few pumpkins. This is pretty much all you need to design the most elegant front porch or courtyard for Fall!

Fall decorating with mums, purple and yellow, with orange pumpkins

Don’t forget that pairing mums are also important if you are trying to create a nice harmony between your pumpkins and fall flowers. For example, some mum colors that go well together:

Pink mums and white mums
Orange mums and red mums
Yellow mums and orange mums
Orange mums and lavender mums
Lavender mums and white mums

2. Use Orange Pumpkins

Decorating with pumpkins for fall, with yellow mums

Related Post: Halloween Dessert Ideas

Orange pumpkins are one of my fall favorites when it comes down to decorating the front porch or courtyard. However, you don’t have to only look for orange pumpkins. Some people prefer decorating with white pumpkins, or pink or simply choosing a pumpkin planter for their fall decorations.

If you choose a pumpkin planter, you can plant any of your favorite fall flowers. Or you can buy smaller potted mums and fit them into your pumpkin planters. To get even more into the fall spirit, your courtyard is a great place to add colorful real (or faux) pumpkins! I like to use real pumpkins for our outdoor décor!

Since pumpkins come in so many different colors and sizes, there are so many opportunities to add your own personal touch to your design! I like to use a variety of white and orange pumpkins, starting with larger ones in the back and the cutest tiny ones in the front.

3. Place Potted Mums In Hollowed Out Pumpkins

Decorating with mums in barrel planters with orange pumpkins

Although I did not place potted mums in hollowed out pumpkins for this year’s decorations, but I really love the idea!!! This is such a cute idea and a great way for decorating with mums and pumpkins. I will probably try it for our next year decorations. If you like to be more creative, you can mix and match your Halloween décor with these pumpkins.

You can place the potted mums in hollowed out pumpkin in a few easy steps:

Pick the mum colors/combinations
Choose your pumpkin
Cut out the top part of the pumpkin
Remove the seeds and guts from your pumpkin
Remove the mum from its post
Add the soil
Place the mum into the pumpkin
Water the chrysanthemum
Decorate your pumpkin with bows or ribbons

If you prefer to choose a faux pumpkin or pumpkin planter, you need to follow the same steps except there is no seeds and guts inside the pumpkin to cleanup.

4. Decorate With Outdoor Fall Wreaths And Garlands

Courtyard gates with fall wreaths and orange pumpkins

Grateful fall wreath with orange ribbon on our front door

I love to celebrate fall with the best fall and Thanksgiving outdoor wreaths, and the best part is the personalization you can have with them!

A wreath can be made from whatever materials you want. It can be store bought or homemade. I like to incorporate the fall theme into our courtyard design, so I decorated it with an orange, white, black, and green color scheme.

Using pumpkins, black and white checkered ribbon, orange mesh, and green accent leaves, the wreath I have bought from Etsy is bright and so pretty for the autumn months!

I love the sweet “fall inspired” message in the center to expand on my style and better represent the beauty of this time of year! Next to my wreath, I put a beautiful garland of orange leaves and faux flowers.

Close up of a fall wreath with a grateful sign and checked ribbon

Here are some of my favorite fall wreaths

Here are some of my favorite fall garlands

I also added three faux flower wreaths to our courtyard gates (one on each gate). This creates such a great fall look on the outside of our house! I bought some dark pink (fuchsia) and yellow fresh fall harvest flowers to add to the side of our doorframe.

Orange and rust fall floral wreath on an iron gate

Small additions like these can wrap your whole design together and add more inspiration than they would without them! Etsy has so many great sellers that they design the best fall wreaths and garlands which add style to your holiday décor! This is why I love shopping on Etsy!

5. Decorate Your Pumpkins With Flameless Battery Operated Candles

White lantern with flameless candles, a checked bow and pumpkins

The best part of using pumpkins is how much they incorporate a fall theme, and a beautiful color scheme, all in one design! When you do have your pumpkins set up, use some flameless battery operated candles!

These help you light your porch up and really get into the spooky spirit while keeping them safe for your kids! I never have to worry about Valentina and Alina getting hurt on any open flames and that is so important to me!

I think a great option to create a candle lit porch is to use stylish outdoor candle lanterns with a flameless battery operated candle inside of them!

I like to wrap and black and white checkered ribbon around the top of them to tie them to the rest of the design. Outdoor candle lanterns are a lovely tribute to the fall and will make a cute and chic addition to your courtyard!

6. Use Harvest Entrance Doormats

Harvest doormat by the front door with purple and yellow mums

There is nothing quite as festive and welcoming as a doormat that celebrates the wonderful season! Pairing your orange and pink fall harvest theme with autumn themed welcome mat will add a homey feeling to your courtyard design as well as tie the color scheme together!

There are so many options of doormats available that let you incorporate your own unique style! I like to go for a classic tan look that goes well with my color scheme, but there are countless other colors and patterns you could use for yours.

7. Create A Charming Hay Bale Seating Area

This is something that I am planning to create next year! With all the candles, flowers, and pumpkins, I did not have enough room to create a charming hay bale seating area! I need to come up with a different design next year (haha) and create a charming hay bale seating area!

They are a defining aspect of the autumn season, and they make a great addition to your fall courtyard design! Adding a couple of hay bales to your porch will look so pretty and make for a charming seating area. Bringing everything you love about fall and turning it into a beautiful courtyard is the best part of the design, and it’s why I love it!

Front door with a fall garland, mums, pumpkins and a hay bale

8. Fill A Pumpkin With Funky Foliage

Another great way to decorate your courtyard is by using a pumpkin as a fun and festive pot for your favorite foliage! If you have an orange and pink fall harvest theme, you can incorporate the same color scheme by adding a bouquet of the flowers you use in your wreath or garland inside of a hollowed pumpkin!

You could even go for a more earthy look and add some pinecones and leafy foliage! Whatever you decide, having it fall out of a pumpkin will look so pretty and is a fun way to give your fall courtyard its own personality!

9. Buy Mums With Lots Of Closed Buds

When I pick out mums, I look for plants that are full of tight little buds with only a few flowers open. They might not look as bright at the store, but they open up at home and last so much longer than the ones already in full bloom.

10. Water Your Mums Every Day

Here in Arizona, potted mums dry out really fast. I check them every morning and give them a good drink at the soil, not over the flowers. If a plant looks droopy, a deep watering usually brings it right back.

11. Group Your Mums In Odd Numbers

Mums look fuller when you group them in threes or fives instead of lining them up in a row. I like to mix a couple of sizes and colors, like purple and yellow together, then tuck pumpkins in between so the whole thing feels layered.

Outdoor Decorating With Pumpkins

Mums, pumpkins and a white lantern in our fall courtyard

There are many great fall decorations ideas for outdoors (or indoor). However, you need to choose your decorations based on your taste and style. For example, some people enjoy a minimalist fall décor, while some others, enjoy a big elaborate fall decoration!

Regardless of your style, and if you like more of a modern fall design, vs. minimalist fall décor or traditional fall decorations, you can use these easy tips and idea to decorate your porch or courtyard for fall.

Bottom Line

Decorating with mums and pumpkins is one of the easiest ways to bring the fall feeling to your house! Once you have added all these design elements to your courtyard, the fall theme you have been looking for will have arrived!

I love the way these decorations complement each other, and I hope you do, too! Remember, your style is a reflection of you! Incorporating your personality into your fall courtyard design is a lovely way to celebrate the holiday season. And if you need some inspiration to wear to go along with your home decor, check out my post on Cute Pumpkin Patch Outfit Ideas!

Purple mums in a barrel planter with pumpkins and a white lantern

The most important part of creating your courtyard design is that you find joy in the outcome, so do not hesitate to go for whatever style you want! When I walk into our courtyard, I love to see something that I made for myself and my family. I want you to love your courtyard the same way!

I hope these courtyard design ideas with pumpkin have inspired you and you have a wonderful and happy fall season!

Decorating With Mums FAQ

How Long Do Mums Last Outside In The Fall?

Potted mums usually bloom for about 4 to 8 weeks. If you buy them while most of the buds are still closed and keep them watered, they last a lot longer than the ones that are already in full bloom at the store.

How Often Should You Water Potted Mums?

Potted mums dry out fast, especially in warm weather. Check the soil every day and water whenever the top feels dry. Water the soil, not the flowers, so the blooms don’t get soggy.

Do Mums Need Full Sun?

Mums love sun, about 5 to 6 hours a day. In a really hot spot, a little afternoon shade helps the flowers last longer.

When Should You Buy Mums For Fall?

Late August through September is the sweet spot. That way you get the whole season out of them, and there are still lots of colors to choose from.

Can You Plant Potted Mums In The Ground?

Yes! Garden mums can go in the ground, and some will come back next year if you plant them early enough in fall. Florist mums (the ones sold as gifts) usually won’t survive the winter.

How Do You Keep Pumpkins From Rotting Outside?

Keep them dry and out of direct afternoon sun when you can. Set them on a mat or a piece of wood instead of wet ground, and don’t carve them until a few days before Halloween.

Are Faux Mums Worth It?

For planters and urns you want to look good all season, I think they are. The good ones look real from a few feet away, they never need water, and you can use them again next year.

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Sherry, xoxo

Love,

Sherry

11 Easy Tips For Decorating With Mums And Pumpkins

Fall Decorating With Mums