DIY A Budget-Friendly Pumpkin Tree That Looks So High End With Dollar Tree Items

When those first leaves start yellowing and the air suddenly feels a little chilly, you know it's time for pumpkins to take center stage. These fruits are the superstars of fall, and although a big chunk of that popularity comes from all the pumpkin-scented candles and pumpkin-flavored drinks that take over store shelves, a lot of it is also down to the many fun and creative ways to decorate with pumpkins for a stunning seasonal display. Jack-o'-lanterns are a classic, but you also have your pumpkin wreaths, your pumpkin lights, your pumpkin centerpieces, and — the topic of this article — a nifty pumpkin tree.

Of course, pumpkins grow on vines, not trees, but that doesn't mean you can't use them to make the fall version of a Christmas tree. For this DIY, you're just going to need a trip to Dollar Tree for supplies, including hot glue, a glue gun, a pack of large wood or bamboo skewers, a foam wreath form like the Green Foam Floral Ring, tape, two bags of artificial moss, and an assortment of your favorite decorative pumpkins, like the Seasonal Collection Foam Pumpkin Decor.

To DIY this elegant pumpkin decor with a few simple Dollar Tree items, start by piercing the foam wreath form with the skewers. The aim is to make a cone structure, so make sure your skewers are placed at regular intervals and that you have enough to stably and seamlessly glue on your moss and pumpkins later on. Tie the top ends of the skewers together with tape, and apply hot glue gradually from the bottom to the top as you cover the cone with the moss.

You don't need to cover every inch of your structure just yet, because the pumpkins will take up some of that space. Once your tree is thinly coated in moss, start gluing the tiny pumpkins. Apply glue on both the moss and the pumpkins, and press for a few seconds so the pumpkins don't fall when you let go. Go back in with the rest of your moss to cover the gaps. Don't waste time trying to make the moss look too neat, as this decorative tree should reflect the kind of imperfect perfection found in nature. Once you're done, place the tree inside a large planter, and display it around your home. This is a great living room decor idea for fall.

Because you need enough to cover the whole tree, meaning a few dozen of them, buying decorative pumpkins at $1.50 apiece can make this project quite expensive. As an alternative, you can DIY them using toilet paper rolls and yarn or small pieces of fabric. The skewers, which will be used to create the tree base, can be replaced with a paper cone, too. These can be bought online or handmade with large poster boards. 

You can also choose different types of moss, depending on the style that best fits the rest of your interior decor. A greener, fluffier moss, like reindeer moss, will result in a cuter, more vibrant tree, while something greyer and scragglier in appearance, like Spanish moss, will look less artificial and more toned down.

Finally, if you prefer smaller trees to place over a mantel or the dining room table, you can opt for a smaller foam ring and smaller skewers or a smaller paper cone. You can then decorate the trees with teeny-tiny fake pumpkins, like the adorable Winemana Mini Pumpkins from Amazon, which come in a pack of 80, currently for $17.99.