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Halloween Decorating Ideas

Deborah, a professional landscaper, shows us how!

Enjoy these fantastic Halloween decorating ideas! Deborah, a professional landscaper and author of the popular blog Dirt Simple, says:

"Roll your eyes if you must, but I do celebrate Halloween week...

Better than any other holiday, it celebrates the process of the garden going down-the harvest ripening, the changing of the seasons, the shortening of the days, stormy weather, and the biggest horror of all - the land of plenty is transformed into the land of the dead. This sounds like plenty of fun to me."

Deborah suggests that if you want to represent the season, do lots! Pile the Halloween pumpkins up everywhere. She says one of the best things about pumpkins is that their stems are left intact.

Decorated porch pillar

Gourds and spider webs

Another of Deborah's Halloween decorating ideas was to encircle her porch's pillars with broomcorn, and then tie it snugly with dried peeled willow sticks. She chose gourds with unique shapes, and a Hubbard squash.

Notice how every pumpkin and gourd was selected for its spook factor. Her outdoor Halloween decorations include spider webs made from hemp fibers to complement the lacy shapes of the kale.

Witcthes and Skeletons

The witches, ghosts and skeletons hung from the ceiling set a menacing atmosphere on the porch; all they'll need are carved pumpkins lit with candles, a dark and blustery night - and cute little goblins to venture upon the porch. Last year Deborah had 300 visitors! Oh my gosh! No wonder!

Ravens guard the door

For this display she dyed Bamboo black, and used sticks as perches for three ravens. See the very creepy, giant furry spiders? Ewwwwwww! Bushel baskets of grown mums add huge splashes of color.

Mums for color

There is an unmistakable eerie mood here. Remember this Halloween decorating idea from Deborah: At Halloween more is always better.

Deborah says that really long gourds are grown by training the vines up and over a pergola. One of these gourds is nearly 8 feet. Wow.

halloween decorating ideas

Deborah used whatever else was available at market - like broomcorn and sticks - on the side porch. She held it all in place with zip ties that are neatly hidden with raffia bows. She placed the corn in three layers, from top to bottom. The new layers cover the construction materials of the preceding layers. She used this process for the tree trunks.

Spider nest

The spider has a handsome nest made of dead grass, various lettuces and black millet. Ewwwwww! The walkway is illuminated with new skull lights.

We really appreciate Deborah sharing her fabulous decorating ideas for Halloween. They are larger-than-life and full of fun. Thanks, Deborah. Please take a moment to stop by her blog, Dirt Simple. Also visit her company website, Deborah Silver and Company, a landscaping and garden design / installation company.

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