Gardeners Corner - Halloween Spooktacular

In this special edition of Gardeners Corner we have invited Previlla from the Wellbeing Taskforce to share her homemade Halloween extravaganza!

I don’t normally get involved in Halloween activities but this year I decided to completely immerse myself in the Bearwood spooktacular #scarewoodtrail, a community-led organised activity. The event channelled my creative side that had been quiescent for a significant number of years and was a welcome escape into a part of my life I had left behind.

I decided that I would not buy anything and would focus my efforts on crafting a sustainable Halloween and fashion the decorations from items I have around the house that I’d accumulated. I knew I had card that I had reserved from when studying to be a Graphic Designer which subsequently led me to the arts and crafts paints, pastels and all things arty I’d packed away in my chest trunk and fondly sparked a trip down memory lane.

Before I embarked on the project, I researched various ‘How-to’ videos on YouTube and knew I had to be creative when putting together the decorations.  I spent weekends drawing and cutting out silhouette demons and monsters, I turned kiln jars into pumpkin lanterns, created pumpkins from card, I even made a skeleton using milk bottles and a Frankenstein head from a chicken tray that would normally get discarded into the recycling.

Once I had decorated the windows to the front of my house and I was happy with the outcome, all my efforts were rewarded when I looked out of my window and caught glimpses of people’s smiles and wonderment as they casually meandered past my house.  My most cherished comments came from my neighbours, especially the one from 11 year old Harry who said ‘ he’s disappointed that my house is for sale and wanted to know my new address so he can come and see next year’s display’.  This comment made it all worthwhile. 

Now to plan the next window display for the Bearwood Winter Wonderland!

Whilst we all love the glow of a freshly carved pumpkin they don’t always last that long on the shelf. If your pumpkins are now past their best don’t fret, they can still be recycled into tasty treats for your garden visitors! You can simply chop the pumpkin up and leave it on a low bird table, birds, hedgehogs, squirrels and foxes will thank you for it! If Previlla’s crafting has inspired you to get creative, why not try making a pumpkin bird feeder? You will need:

• A pumpkin
• Strong twine or rope
• Twigs for perches
• Bird seed

Method:

All you need to do is cut your pumpkin in half so that it’s shaped like a bowl, then use a knife to cut holes in the side of the pumpkin to support the twig perches. To finish, use the twine to make a support for the bowl and hang it up in your garden!