What a decorative pumpkin looks like: growing unusual fruits and creating works of art

Summer residents often decorate their plots with flowering plants. But exotic-looking vegetables also cope well with this task. Decorative pumpkin is one of the most interesting crops in this regard. It is capable of tying itself to any vertical support and rising upward, thereby forming a green wall with yellow flowers and small fancy fruits. Neighbors and passers-by will be delighted to see such a landscape.

In this article we will tell you what a decorative pumpkin is and how to properly grow it in your own garden.

What is a decorative pumpkin

Decorative pumpkin is divided into two subspecies - bush and climbing. They differ in the form of development of the lateral lashes. If you need spot gardening on a balcony, terrace or open area, it is better to plant the plant in the form of a bush. Climbing is capable of creating “green screens” up to 2.5 m high.

Maximum growth of green mass occurs in June. At the beginning of July, pumpkins are actively blooming. Large beautiful flowers of various shades deserve special attention. Closer to August, the vines will be decorated with unusually shaped fruits in rich colors. As it matures, the color intensity intensifies.

Why is decorative pumpkin worth growing?

Reasons why fancy varieties are planted:

1. Aesthetic aspect - pumpkin bushes look beautiful and unusual.They have bright yellow, orange, green flowers, uniquely shaped leaves and impressive original fruits.
2. Rapid growth of bushes. Within a month they grow up to 5 m in length, so the crop is used for vertical gardening in country courtyards or gardens.
3. Easy care because the plant is unpretentious. Regular watering of the bushes is enough to prevent wilting.

There are many ornamental varieties that are sold in gardening stores. For example, orange varieties are popular among vegetable growers, differing from other varieties in their bright orange color.

How to use it in decoration

The main application is decorating landscape design in a rustic Provence style. For this purpose, supports or trellises along the fences are pre-made. The culture is also used to decorate nondescript-looking outbuildings or house walls. The rapid growth of green mass will quickly cover buildings or form a living canopy in an open area.

The second area of ​​application is the production of handmade crafts. Depending on the shape, pumpkins are used to make cases, flowerpots, vases, candlesticks and other interior items.

Types of decorative pumpkins

In gardening stores there are packages with a mixture of a wide variety of decorative varieties.

The most common:

• warty;
• pear-shaped;
• crown pumpkins.

Review of the best varieties

Decorative pumpkin as a crop has been known since ancient times. Depending on the shape, it is called dishware or bottle. In ancient Rome, the fruit was used to make various containers, such as wine barrels.

In ancient China, the decorative pumpkin was treated as the queen of plants. It was specially grown in the imperial gardens for making bowls.The dishes were used to set tables for special guests. In Africa, to this day, dishes and the famous African tam-tams are made from well-dried pumpkins. They also make various souvenirs - jewelry, snuff boxes, etc.

Mandarin duck

The Mandarin duck variety is orange in color. The shape is similar to an orange and a tangerine. Small fruits weigh up to 300 g and look impressive against the backdrop of dense green foliage.

Warty

Warty pumpkins come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They are pear-shaped, round, oval, star-shaped or bottle-shaped. The color range ranges from white to yellow, orange and dark green, almost black. At the same time, there are also two-color ones - spotted or striped.

Warty vegetables have an uneven surface - in nodules and tubercles. The climbing plant has thin vines that grow up to 3-4 m. This variety is recommended to be planted as seedlings in March-April and transferred to open ground in June. Up to 30 small fruits (slightly more than 10 cm in diameter) ripen on the plant. The variety is excellent for decorative purposes.

Turkish turban

Turkish Turban is an edible variety that differs from its relatives in its growth rate. In a few weeks the culture grows to 6 meters. Its rapid growth makes it possible to use the plant for organizing vertical gardening in a personal plot.

Pumpkin is considered a light-loving plant, so it is grown in well-lit places. Decorative fruits are small in size, up to 15 cm in diameter.

Crown

The “crown” variety has a small fruit size, resembling a star with different colors - orange, yellow, green, striped. The crop is planted in the last ten days of April or early May, color begins to appear from mid-June, and pumpkins begin to ripen in July. The fruits are harvested in October. The variety is used to decorate the external walls of houses and other buildings.

Mini Pumpkin Sweet Dumpling

The fruits of the Sweet Dumplinq variety are great for use as decoration; they are white in color with orange or green stripes. The vegetable can be eaten - it has sweet pulp with a fruity aroma.

Baby Boo

"Little Boo" is considered a unique pumpkin variety due to its perfect white color. Each weighs up to 200 g, size - 10-15 cm in diameter. The surface of the fruit is absolutely flat and smooth. Ripe vegetables look beautiful and are used not only as decoration, but also for cooking.

Jack be little

This variety is similar to the “orange” variety, since the fruits are also painted in bright orange colors and have a diameter of about 10 cm. The bushes of this crop are productive, up to 15 fruits ripen on each plant, which weigh 100-120 g. The variety is used both for decorating the site, and for preparing vegetable dishes.

Kleine Bicolor

The fruits of this pumpkin are shaped like a pear. Ripe vegetables come in a variety of colors, but green is the most common color.

Smile

The “smile” variety is sweet and juicy, tolerates unfavorable weather well and is stored until next year; edible fruits ripen in August.

Features of growing decorative pumpkins

Growing seedlings includes a number of the following actions:

• preparation of seed material - disinfection, hardening, germination;
• sowing of seeds for seedlings is carried out in late April - early May;
• the crop does not like replanting, so sow one seed per pot with a diameter of at least 15 cm;
• after 12 days, sprinkle the plant with soil, up to the cotyledon leaves;
• We feed the seedlings twice with mineral fertilizers or slurry;
• we transplant the seedlings after 30 days, when it has five true leaves;
• before planting, weed the ground and apply fertilizer;
• Make holes for the plant and pour 1 liter of water into each hole.

Also, the seeds take root well if sown directly in the ground. This is done after the frosts have irrevocably passed - the soil temperature should be at least 13 ° C.

When growing crops, the following conditions will need to be met:

• timely watering and fertilizing of the plant, loosening the soil and removing weeds;
• installation of a reliable structure to support the plant;
• pinching the central shoot, which has grown to one meter, so that lateral shoots form;
• inspection of the plant for timely detection of pests and diseases;
• after full ripening, harvest the fruits (before frost).

Important! The area for growing the crop should be sunny, the soil should be well heated. The plant is afraid of frost.

Further use

Decorative pumpkins are used to create applied items - in particular, dishes for storing food and water or for use as interior decoration. To prevent small pumpkins from rotting, the fruits must be collected before the onset of autumn frosts. Fruits with thick, rough skin are set aside for crafts.

Drawings are applied to the bright fruits and varnished. Useful and beautiful things are made from the fruits. For example, containers for storing cereals, flower pots, birdhouses, boxes, bottles and ladles.

How to dry a pumpkin for crafts and decorations

From the entire harvest, only fully mature fruits are left, which have a dry stalk and a dense rind. To determine the degree of ripeness, run a fingernail over the pumpkin. It is difficult to leave a scratch on a mature hard shell. The dry rind of Lagenaria (Gourd gourd) has a brownish-yellowish tint.

The selected fruits are thoroughly washed with soap, wiped and allowed to dry, then wiped with alcohol and placed in a dry, warm room until completely dry.

After the bottle gourd has dried, it is moved to a place where the fruits will lie for six months. Lagenaria needs a ventilated place where it will not be exposed to direct sunlight.

On a note. If the pumpkins are damaged, they begin to rot. They must be removed so that fungi and bacteria do not infect neighboring healthy pumpkins.

Workpieces should be periodically inspected for signs of mold. If it appears, additional treatment of the shell with an antiseptic is required. Also, soaking a rag in chlorine bleach will help get rid of mold, but only if the skin has retained its density.

As the pulp dries, the outer color of the shell darkens. When lagenaria dries, it becomes very light. If you shake it, the seeds will rattle inside. If you throw a dry gourd into water, it will remain floating on the surface.

How to determine the edibility of a variety yourself

Is it possible to eat a small pumpkin? In most cases, no. All small pumpkins with a diameter of no more than 15 cm form a seed chamber and a thin layer of pulp that dries out when ripe. The smaller the fruit, the faster the process of ripening and drying of the pulp will occur.

For your information. There are no toxic substances in pumpkin.But inedible fruits have hard, dry pulp with a minimal amount of sugar, which significantly reduces the nutritional value of the product.

Reviews

There are a large number of decorative varieties and each has a difference in the shape and color of the fruit. Those who have already grown the crop speak mostly positively about it. Advice from experienced gardeners will help you decide on which variety to choose.

Tatiana. “Turkish turban is my favorite variety. My neighbors advised me to grow it. Pumpkins are small and compact. Caring for the plant is quite simple. I water it together with other flowers. The soil on my site is light loamy. It immediately absorbs water and dries quickly. Sometimes, in hot weather, the leaves of the plant wither. But by evening they are restored again. I added a tablespoon of nitroammophoska a couple more times. The vines have to be cut off as they clog other plants. This variety is edible. So, I cut off the top of them, take out the pulp and stuff them with minced meat, then cover them with a lid and put them in the oven until ready. It turns out very tasty, you'll just lick your fingers. The taste of pumpkin itself is similar to potato.”

Michael. “Recently, I’ve been planting a decorative pumpkin called Wart Mixture in my dacha. I love vertical gardening. Pumpkins can perfectly decorate a garden, cottage or even a balcony. My kids love them and make crafts out of them. I plant the seeds for seedlings in April, then transplant them into large buckets in May and send them to the greenhouse, and only then put the buckets with plants outside in mid-May; they will definitely need a garter support. In a greenhouse climate, they simply grow at cosmic speed. I really liked the culture, good germination, strong seedlings.Seeds are very inexpensive and add so much beauty and variety to gardens. If you like something unusual, I advise you to plant Wart mixture, these fruits grow the same as in the photo on the package, in a variety of shapes and colors.”

Conclusion

Growing a variety of decorative pumpkins will be an interesting activity for both a novice gardener and an experienced gardener. A mixture of varieties looks especially impressive.

Do you want to surprise guests and neighbors with bright and fancy fruits or decorate your home interior? Grow decorative pumpkin varieties. The growing process is extremely simple - the main thing is to take care of providing the proper conditions for the growth of the crop.