Cucurbita
cue-CURB-ih-tah. Gourd family, Cucurbitaceae.
Better known as residents of vegetable gardens, pumpkins and squashes can be useful in ornamental plantings as well. They bear attractive, lobed leaves that can exceed 8 inches across and trumpet-shaped, 5- to 6-inch wide yellow-orange flowers. The genus contains about 27 species, but most gardeners select these plants by looking at cultivar descriptions only. Pie-type pumpkins generally are classified as C. moschata, while carving pumpkins usually are C. pepo.
How to Grow
Full sun; rich, well-drained soil; and plenty of space will satisfy pumpkins: standard-size pumpkins can spread 15 feet, while mini-pumpkins can spread 8 feet, and semi-bush types spread about 5 feet. Sow seeds indoors no more than three weeks before the last spring frost date in individual pots. Germination takes about one week if the soil is kept warm, about 75°F. Seeds will not germinate at all if the soil is below 60°F. Transplant with care after the last frost date, once the weather has settled and the soil has warmed up. In areas with long growing seasons, sow seeds outdoors after the soil has reached 60°F. The earliest pumpkin cultivars, including minis, require about 95 days to set and ripen fruit. Use pumpkins as fast, temporary, inexpensive groundcovers in new gardens and under shrubs; just don't let them engulf shrubs. (They also will cover eyesores such as stumps.) Mini types make effective climbers for fences or trellises, and both their flowers and fruits are attractive.
C. pepo p. (pictured above)
c. PEY-po. Pumpkins.
Mini-type pumpkins bear handsome, full-size leaves and flowers. When allowed to scramble over the ground they reach about 10 inches in height. 'Jack Be Little', bears ribbed, 3- to 4-inch, orange fruit, about 12 per plant; the fruit is edible and sweet-fleshed. 'Baby Boo' bears similar but white-skinned fruit. 'We-B-Little' is a semi-bush type plant that bears about 8 unribbed, 3- to 3.5-inch orange fruits per plant. Warm-weather annual.
For the Plant Of The Month index click here.
The above copyrighted information is adapted with permission from the "Taylor’s Guide to Annuals: How to select and grow more than 400 annuals, biennials, and tender perennials," (Houghton Mifflin, 1999, softcover) written by Barbara W. Ellis and published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. The Exclusive Online Only Author's Note comes directly from Ellis and is not included in the book.
Ellis is also the author of "Taylor's Guide to Growing North America's Favorite Plants: A detailed, how-to-grow guide to selecting, planting, and caring for the best classic plants." (Houghton Mifflin, 1998, softcover). Country Living magazine called this comprehensive reference "The 'must-have' gardening book of the year."
For more information about these books, please visit your local bookseller.
Images provided by Houghton Mifflin Company.