Halloween Decor: Turn a Peaceful Plant Into a Man-Eating Monster

Plant lovers, beware! This carnivorous craft is a fun way to add a little unexpected spookiness to a humble houseplant this Halloween.

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HGTV shows you how to make a man-eating plant for your Halloween decorating.

Man-Eating Plant Halloween Decor

Learn how to make a man-eating plant for your Halloween decorating.

Photo by: Sam Henderson

Sam Henderson

Turn ordinary objects into a frightful but fun display for Halloween with this clever man-eating plant decoration. These little guys seem super cute, but don’t be fooled. They’ve only got one thing in mind … dinner.

Materials Needed:

  • 1/2 inch (approximately) flexible hose (like for an air compressor)
  • knife or tin shears
  • heavy-gauge electrical wire
  • wire cutters
  • 3" styrofoam balls
  • craft knife
  • green spray paint
  • black card stock
  • glue stick
  • plastic vampire teeth
  • hot glue gun and glue sticks
  • artificial plant(s)
  • planter
  • dry floral foam
  • apple corer

Prepare the Stems

Cut the hose with a knife or tin shears to lengths of about 15-18 inches (Image 1). Look for a hose that is flexible, such as a hose for an air compressor. If you can't find a green hose, you will need to spray paint it when you paint the plant heads. Cut wire to the length of each hose plus 2 inches (Image 2). Insert wire into the tubing. Use heavy electrical wire that is rigid enough to hold the shape of the tubing but flexible enough to twist the tubing into the desired shape (Image 3).

Make the Heads

Cut a wedge into the foam ball with a craft knife and remove the wedge (Image 1). Use an apple corer to make a hole at the bottom of the foam ball as wide as the tubing (Image 2). Spray paint the foam with green spray paint (Image 3). Cut black cardstock in a circle slightly smaller than the diameter of the foam ball (about 2-1/2 inches). Fold the circle in half, reopen, and cover one side with glue stick (Image 4). Press the paper into the wedge and hold to secure it to the foam. Add hot glue to the folds of the vampire teeth and press them in place in the back of the wedge of each styrofoam ball (Image 5).

Finish the Display

Use hot glue to add two silk leaves to the outside of each of the holes on the bottoms of the foam balls (Image 1). Insert the wire from the tubes into each hole (Image 2). Fill the planter with floral foam, then press the open end of the wire and tube stems into the floral foam to secure them (Image 3). Cut away extra stem as necessary to get the right height. Twist the wire inside the tubing to obtain the desired look. Add the remaining stems. Add additional artificial leaves to fill in the floral foam (Image 4). Make adjustments to the stems to get the desired look (Image 5).

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