October 23, 2026

Our Halloween season got a glow-up last Saturday at Glow at the Gardens, a multi-night jack-o’-lantern extravaganza held at Denver Botanic Gardens. Along with some live performances, the garden was spookily and colorfully illuminated with thousands of real carved pumpkins. Not foam. Real.

The pumpkins are not only carved into traditional jack-o’-lanterns, but they’re arranged on armatures in elaborate, supersized sculptures like this owl.

I honestly don’t know how DBG pulls off a display of so many real jack-o’-lanterns over two consecutive weekends, defying decomposition, squirrels, and rabbits. In my own garden, squirrels chomped their way through a half dozen uncarved pumpkins on my front porch before I brought my two survivors indoors.

Wouldn’t carved pumpkins be even more tempting for the critters?

A sign explained that most of the pumpkins are re-carved and replaced midway through the week — a feat of organization, carving, and setup in itself. Impressive, DBG!

Moose pumpkin sculpture

Nothing was too scary for little kids, and carving creativity was on full display. Here’s a grinning pumpkin patch of Audreys, the man-eating plant from Little Shop of Horrors.

This one looks like it might snap up a fly with a terrified expression on its pumpkin face.

There were woodland creatures made of pumpkins, like this family of owls…

…and foxes.

A car-sized 2,060-pound pumpkin was on display in uncarved glory.

One pumpkin sculpture featured life-sized jousters on their steeds.

Charge!

Other spooky features added to the ambience, like a crypt-like wall of bones…

…and a spider’s lair.

If the big one doesn’t get you, the little ones might.

In the hillside amphitheater, huge spiderwebs projected onto the lawn proved irresistible to kids, who darted through them like flies tempting fate.

Pumpkin ghosts oozed out the windows of a pumpkin haunted house. It’s hard to see, but the ghosts are holding jack-o’-lanterns that spell out “Glow at the Gardens.”

It was a delightful way to spend a beautiful autumn evening with a nip in the air.

I’ll definitely be back for the glow next year.

Glow at the Gardens is sold out, but you can read more about it here.

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“Gardens of Texas is not your typical door stop/coffee table book filled with beautiful images of gardens you can never hope to achieve. The photography is definitely inspiring, but Pam’s thoughtful, detailed storytelling and “Try This At Home” features…makes one feel empowered to create similar garden magic….This is what I’ll curl up with on late August afternoons when the mercury in Austin soars and I’m stuck indoors.”

–MomInAustin, a reviewer on Amazon

Gardens of Texas: Visions of Resilience from the Lone Star State is here! It’s for anyone who loves gardens or the natural beauty of Texas. Find it on Amazon, other online book sellers, and in stores everywhere. More info here.

All material © 2026 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.