Gourds are just one of those things that people can’t resist. With their colorful bumpy skin, unique shapes and interesting forms people scoop them up for use in fall decorating projects. Large gourds that have been dried and hollowed out can stand in for pottery pieces as decorative bowls, scoops, lamps and birdhouses.
Decorative gourds are as easy to grow. Visit a garden center in the spring, pick up some seed and follow the directions on the back. Thin skinned gourds that have yellow blossoms belong to the Cucurbita pepo cultivars, along with cucumbers and most other squash. Gourds with white flowers belong to the Lagenaria class of squashes. These varieties have been used as containers by many cultures for thousands of years.
Leave the decorative gourds on the vine until the leaves dry up and turn brown. They can stand exposure to a little frost. Use a sharp knife to cut them from the vine and leave a small stem attached to the gourd. This helps prevent disease organisms from entering the interior of the squash, which causes them to rot before they dry.
After you harvest them, spread them out to cure on a rack in a dry, dark, airy place. Drying time will vary with the size of the gourd, but plan on anywhere from 2 to 10 months for some of them to dry completely. Generally speaking, they are completely dry when the seeds rattle when you shake them. The thin skinned gourds will remain heavy and will not dry. Simply shellac these or leave them with a natural finish
"What makes a gourd desirable?" Everyone has her own answer to that question. My sister is fond of gourds with traditional shapes in the colors of red, butter yellow and persimmon orange. Others are intrigued by gourds with unusual shapes in different hues, like ghostly white and dusty gray-green. I'm especially enamored of gnarly, wart-covered gourds in crazy color combinations.
No matter your preference, gourds, pumpkins and squashes are here for a short time each fall. Make the most of these fabulous decorative elements. Visit us at Eric’s and harvest your favorites then try some of these ideas.
One way to create fall displays loaded with drama is to only use gourds and pumpkins that are the same color. For instance, for a fresh and fun fall dining-table display, gather some white pumpkins, gourds, and a few green accents. Cover the table with a green and white floral print or stripe pattern. Then place a white dinner plate with a green salad plate on top. Place a little white mini-pumpkin inside a white soup bowl on top of the plates. Repeat this for each place setting. For the centerpiece choose one: fill a green bowl with white gourds. Make a bouquet of green hypericum berries and place it in a low cube vase. Then toss a few white gourds and pumpkins around the base of the centerpiece.
For a white-pumpkin-inspired table that's a bit more elegant, start with a black-and-white damask tablecloth. Use silver chargers topped with gold- or silver-rimmed plates. Place a black iron urn in the table's center and fill with twigs, white hydrangea, and white gourds impaled on stakes for height. To create an interesting multilevel display use glass candlesticks and silver trophy cups, all topped with white gourds.
For another wonderful look for your fall table, group together gourds and pumpkins in traditional harvest colors of orange, red and yellow. Use inexpensive burlap as a table cloth. For a centerpiece, fill a tall wooden vessel with branches, fall florals and vine. Then add the color by loading a three-tiered server with an assortment of gourds, or place a small pumpkin on a wicker cake plate under a glass cloche. Place candles in small, hollowed-out gourds or use mini-pumpkins as place-card holders.
Blue is the complimentary color to orange so for a daring look: pair blue-and-white Asian ginger jars on opposite sides of a sofa table or a buffet, then fill them with fall foliage and flowers, resting additional gourds and pumpkins at the base. Freshen up your mantel with an undulating mélange of pumpkins and gourds of different sizes, shapes and colors. Give a few gourds added height atop candle holders, mint julep or votive.
No matter what you do with gourds it always looks good! Enjoy the New England fall
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