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Regular readers of this blog know that my father is pretty obsessive. For several years, he lovingly (and compulsively) raised chrysanthemums. Towards the end of that phase, he went as far as wheeling some 40 pots of mums back and forth to sun on the driveway, then back to the garage for shelter from wind, rain, and frost. He did this every day. See here for the results of that care.
This year, he is going nuts with bottle gourds. He has again - maybe some...40 plants he is lovingly tending. They are growing up bamboo supports, along a fence, up a trellis, over evergreens, in pots, wherever there was space to be found early this spring. Some are large bottle gourds, but the fun this year is in growing miniature gourds. The ones in the photos above have probably reached their full height at about 4 inches. I love how they look like little dangling lanterns.
These "good luck gourds" are also one of the oldest crops in China where they're useful as containers or scoops in the house and garden. A mature and dried bottle gourd is actually water-tight and so sturdy it can be used for generations. And with the fact that they are delicious when young and can be made into any number of crafts when mature and dried, why not grow them?
Beautiful! Makes me want to grow some right now.
ReplyDeleteYou have gone "out of your gourd" - LOL! Sorry couldn't resist ;-) Looks like you'll have enough for many, many Winter night craft projects ahead.
ReplyDeleteThose are really beautiful. Does this type also work for bird houses?
ReplyDeletedefinitely - these are the bird house gourds!
Deleteoh those are beautiful and you have them growing in the perfect spot hanging down like lanterns.
ReplyDeletewow they look beautiful, dont think ive seen anything like it. They remind me of lanturns.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous gourds!!! I love how they hang like solar lights from above. Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI often seen gourds grow wildly around the street sides and walkway where the birds eat the seeds and the plant grows from the droppings.
ReplyDeleteAnd often its all vines & tendrils and somehow pretty to look at flowers but hardly any gourds.
And the thought of that - somehow made me not to indulge with the uncontrollable plant which sends its shoot everywhere.
Now looking at your pictures - I really would like to try out one.
Thanks for sharing.
the vines, flowers, tendrils are my favorite part!!!
DeleteHello Wendy, i am so envious of your bottle gourds! This is the first time also that i learn they are eaten when young, but if i have that i will just let them mature for aesthetics. I know they are auspicious with the Chinese, and i call it 'wulu' for healing magic, hehe! A few years ago Skeeter sent me seeds from Georgia, but they just germinate and did not grow, they are also very susceptible to pests. So i was not able to grow the wulu gourds. I have a small ceramic one attached to my bag, a bling! You have a wide property there , no wonder you and family can raise a lot of crops and plants. What will you do with those lots of wulu gourds?
ReplyDeleteThose are so beautiful! Wow! Now that is something awesome to grow!!!! Love the pics!
ReplyDeleteHowever obsessive your father is, he's a dang good gourd grower. LOL! I love those mini gourds. So pretty!!!
ReplyDeleteThey *do* look like lanterns-I never would have thought that gourds could be pretty like that. Wouldn't it be cool if you could put little lights in all of them? :)
ReplyDeleteYour dad hits another one out of the park! No wonder you grew up interesting.
ReplyDeleteI love two for one plants. First it's a food then it's a craft!
ReplyDeleteYour Dad's gourds are awesome. Fun!
Wu Lou is also a symbol of health and longevity, also used as a protective fengshui cure against bad vibes, negative chi and evil spirits.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I am still puzzled. Are the fruits straight and long at the begining and then change shape to rounded later?
No, they start out in a double rounded shape. There is another bottle gourd we eat that is like a big fat baseball bat. Maybe you're thinking of that? Good tip about the feng shui. I need to work on that in my house!
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