My sweet gourd
Gardens Illustrated|September 2024
Clark Lawrence, an American living in the heart of Italy's pumpkin province, loves growing different cultivars of pumpkins and ornamental gourds for their sweet flavours and fabulous looks
- Clark Lawrence
My sweet gourd

Pumpkins bring joy – just place the little, white variety called ‘Baby Boo’ in the hands of a small child and watch their eyes light up. When they are a few years older, pass them a bright-orange pumpkin such as ‘Sankt Martin’ that weighs about the same as a newborn baby, and they will often hug and cuddle it.

Being American, I have always loved pumpkins, gourds, ornamental corn and anything from the garden that Americans associate with late-summer harvests and Halloween. I now garden in Mantua, in perhaps the most famous pumpkin province of Italy, and grow oddities nobody else in the area knows about – I figure there’s no need to grow the same delicious edible pumpkins Italians already do, so have specialised in ornamental gourds, most small enough to fit into the palm of your hand.

My vegetable garden is only 20m x 22m and almost half of it is shaded by four walnut trees that I don’t have the heart to cut down, so I have to grow vertically on bamboo sticks and trellises. I grow popcorn, sunflowers, heirloom beans, amaranth, zinnias, shiso and a few different species of Ipomoea to create a bit of a jungle scene. Castor oil plants in deep reds and dark green add height, colour and botanical interest. But it is really the pumpkins that rule here. The whole space is dominated by a gourd tunnel, which runs down the middle of the garden, shading a brick walk and dividing my ten vegetable beds into two rows of five.

I’ve tried growing many kinds of Cucurbitaceae, including the sweet-smelling, tennis-ball-sized Queen Anne’s pocket melon (Cucumis melo), luffa (Luffa aegyptiaca), kiwano (Cucumis metuliferus) and cucamelons, also known as mouse melons (Melothria scabra). Any of the prickly cucumbers (Cucumis hirsutus, Cucumis dipsaceus, Cucumis myriocarpus, Cucumis africanus) make a great trellis cover and can also be grown in large pots on a balcony.

この蚘事は Gardens Illustrated の September 2024 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

この蚘事は Gardens Illustrated の September 2024 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

GARDENS ILLUSTRATEDのその他の蚘事すべお衚瀺
WHY SHOULD I VOLUNTEER?
Gardens Illustrated

WHY SHOULD I VOLUNTEER?

Giving your free time to volunteer in the community or as a mentor can have a big impact, and also benefit you in ways you can't imagine, says John Wyer

time-read
3 分  |
October 2024
EARTHLY CONCERN
Gardens Illustrated

EARTHLY CONCERN

Weeds, slugs, birds and mice - all are welcome on Birch Farm in Devon, where Joshua Sparkes seeks to respect the local ecosystem and mimic nature in his innovative approach to growing

time-read
4 分  |
October 2024
Gardening is good for you
Gardens Illustrated

Gardening is good for you

In the first of his new factual column on the benefits of gardening, Dr Richard Claxton uncovers all the evidence-based ways it can help your physical health.

time-read
4 分  |
October 2024
TANGERINE DREAM
Gardens Illustrated

TANGERINE DREAM

On the edge of one of London's busiest roundabouts, Nigel Dunnett has created exciting combinations of drought-tolerant plants for a roof garden that is as unexpected as it is joyful

time-read
4 分  |
October 2024
GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT
Gardens Illustrated

GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT

Growing your own edible plants is a great way to boost your gut microbiome. Discover expert picks of edimentals that are both beautiful and beneficial

time-read
3 分  |
October 2024
Waste not, nice plot
Gardens Illustrated

Waste not, nice plot

Designer Miria Harris gave herself the challenge of a no-skip, zero-waste project, giving away, recycling or reusing everything in this back garden before transforming it into a space her client could love

time-read
4 分  |
October 2024
One for all
Gardens Illustrated

One for all

A new community garden designed by Sarah Price around an old library turned arts centre in southeast London is a treasured space for local residents and garden lovers alike

time-read
4 分  |
October 2024
Meet our horticultural HEROES
Gardens Illustrated

Meet our horticultural HEROES

Discover the stories of the extraordinary garden champions who are making a difference to places, people, plants and the planet

time-read
10+ 分  |
October 2024
SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE
Gardens Illustrated

SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE

In the culinary world, chefs and food writers sometimes closely guard their recipes, says Nigel Slater. Among gardeners, however, there is a refreshing spirit of generosity

time-read
3 分  |
October 2024
Autumn at Sissinghurst
Gardens Illustrated

Autumn at Sissinghurst

As the garden slips into a new season, head gardener Troy Scott Smith and his team are busy with tasks from hedge cutting and lawn work to bulb planting and sowing seeds.

time-read
2 分  |
October 2024