Wednesday, July 25, 2012

A little rain to make the flowers grow

We had a little rain the other night.  Not enough to make a dent in the drought but enough to moisten the roots and soften the soil.  This morning I was greeted with cooler temps and a sea of brightly colored wildflowers.

Out in the garden, the squash has be thriving in the heat.  The splash of rain was enough to create an explosion of new blossoms.  What I wanted to share with you was that the gourds we planted are also in bloom.

This lovely delicate little beauty is from the bushel gourd.  Given the right conditions including a long HOT growing season, bushel gourds have been known to grow up to five FEET in diameter.  I don't believe ours will ever get that big but think they might get big enough to make a nice bowl for dried arrangements.

Another gourd which is in bloom at the moment is the Nestegg gourd.
The gourd produced by this plant is white or pale brown and as the name implies, about the size of a large egg.  Sometimes it helps to put an object into a chicken's nestbox to encourage her to lay her eggs there.  Nesteggs are made out of all sorts of materials from carved wood eggs to golfballs.  I rather like the idea of the nestegg gourd which could also be colored, carved, or decorated as a home craft.

Still the flowers, while fleeting, are lovely.  Look for beauty where you find it.  Sometimes it will appear in unexpected places.


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