Okay, not really snow per se, but the birdhouse gourd flower is snow-white. I’m sure the seed packet said something about white flowers, but I’ve been so focused on the gourds to come, that it took me by surprise. I just assumed it would flower yellow, like the pumpkins, zucchini and other members of the squash family.
Not all the garden surprises have been good this past week, but this one’s a gem. I love the delicate petals and the beautiful contrast to the plants green arrow-head leaves. I’ll be keeping a close watch over the next two weeks for signs of emerging gourds.
Have you found any surprises in your garden this week? Please share in the comments below.
Flowering Gourd
Gardening Nirvana 
I have had a surprise in every pot of flowers and under every shrub….namely slugs and snails. Due to the continuous rain here for weeks they are breeding out of control and I have to go on slug patrol every evening after work – any suggestions for protecting my plants?
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Not the surprise you were looking for, was it? For your pots, the solution is fairly easy. After you hand-pick the snails, wrap the pots in copper tape. They won’t cross the copper barrier. For the shrubs, surround them with course coffee grounds or diatomaceous earth. They also act as barriers. Neither solution is toxic so it’s a win-win for you and the environment. Good luck!
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PS…love the white flowers – so pretty
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Thanks for saying so. I’ve been gone all day, so I need to go check on everything, always a pleasure. Keep me posted on the snails.
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Garden surprise? My last blueberry bush keeps giving, and giving the most wonderful ripe berries… I finally took the net off – the birds are leaving it alone – so that is my nice surprise:)
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Sue, that is a great surprise! The birds are leaving our strawberries alone too. I don’t know how we got so lucky.
Blueberries are so good for us. Lucky you to be growing such a prolific shrub. We had lovely raspberries, but not a single berry on the blueberry bush. I don’t know why.
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Catchy title, you caught me thinking “snow? HA. Even though I’m not ‘gardening’ right now I just love reading all your posts so much. You always have such good advice for your visitors. I’m a wee bit envious of everyone, all working hard in their yards. It’s like a little garden tour from my sofa.
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Thank you, Boomdee. It must be hard sitting it out when you are used to a big garden. I hope you find your dream house soon, with a sunny garden plot just waiting for your magic touch.
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Fingers crossed. I really miss it more than I thought I would but maybe will cut it down to a size that can be enjoyed more than manicured.
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Fingers crossed as well. As you know, you can get creative and grow a lot of vegetables in a small space. Native plants don’t require a lot of water. You can pick and choose what works. I hope that special Boomdeeadda garden is in the plans for next spring.
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That is something to look forward too! I saw those cone shaped natural wicker planters from the ‘vertical garden’ site at a local greenhouse. They were a little pricey, might check back for a sale in September.
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Good idea. I’m already seeing clearance sales in some of the catalogs. Keep your eyes peeled.
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I love the flower, it’s so delicate looking. No real surprises in our garden although along one of the edges where all the building rubble sits (we still need to move it all) there are elderberry trees and I happened to wander past it yesterday and noticed that the berries are ready for picking, so that was a nice treat.
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I don’t think I’ve ever had an elderberry. They sound wonderful. Finding berries fresh for the picking is indeed a wonderful surprise. Will you bake with them? Mix them into dishes?
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