Art in the garden: Autumn squash delights the senses

It’s time to decorate our homes and outdoor spaces to embrace the spirit of the season. With the incredible selection of pumpkins, squash, gourds, and other natural materials, it’s easy!

What’s the difference between a pumpkin, a squash, and a gourd? Pumpkins, squash and gourds are all members of the Cucurbita family of plants. Some varieties are known as summer squash. These have tender skin and moist flesh. Others are called winter squash. They have hard skin and dry flesh. Pumpkins are Cucurbitas that were typically round and orange. Gourds are defined as hard-skinned fleshy members of Cucurbita family.

So … does it matter? Botanically not much, but when used in a culinary way, maybe so. Winter squash has a milder flavor and finer texture. Pumpkins have a stronger flavor and coarse texture. When you are enjoying your traditional dessert after your Thanksgiving dinner, if it was prepared with a commercially canned product from the grocery store, you may actually be eating squash pie.

Whether we call them pumpkins, squash or gourds, they are not just for carving jack-o-lanterns at Halloween and baking pies at Thanksgiving. There are many unique varieties ideal for fall decorating. Here are just a few you should look for at your local garden center.

Of all the non-traditional pumpkins, the bluish and greenish gray varieties are the most unexpected. Blue Moon and Green Warty are flattened globe-shaped pumpkins. Blue Moon has a smooth but deeply ribbed surface. Green Warty, as its name implies, is covered with large bumps. Either variety looks fantastic when mixed with other orange pumpkins and are stunning when sitting beside purple-leaved ornamental cabbage or kale. Partner a Green Warty with Dynasty Red ornamental cabbage — the combinations smolders.

White pumpkins can create an eerie or elegant scene. Valenciano is a flattened, medium-sized pumpkin with a ribbed surface. Cotton Candy is similar in size, but has a smooth surface. It is perfectly suited to carve into a friendly or ghoulish ghost or painted. Or nestle a few among fall-blooming annuals and perennials.

You can never have one too many pumpkins, especially if you select the very pretty variety named One Too Many. Their coloring has been described as a “bloodshot eye,” but I don’t think this description gives this cream-colored pumpkin with orange red veining justice. It has an overall pastel appearance that blends beautifully with other white or orange pumpkins.

If you prefer softer colors in your displays, pastel pretties include Long Island Cheese and Galeux D’Eysines. They both boast soft coral peach skin. Long Island Cheese is smooth and deeply ribbed. A French heirloom, Galeux D’Eysines is also deeply ribbed but it’s covered with warts that look like peanut shells.

If you crave the large and unusual, choose a Lunch Lady. These over-sized gourds come in different shades of yellow and orange, and they all come with bumps, lots of bumps! Most mysterious is why they were named Lunch Ladies — they don’t remind me of any lunch ladies I remember from my school days.

An heirloom, Turk’s Turban is gorgeous in autumn displays. Highly decorative and colorful, it has a deep orange cap over a base of red, orange or green markings. I think they look best displayed upside down.

Pumpkins can be traditional in their orange coloring, but have unconventional features. Cinderella pumpkins are flattened and deeply ribbed, and their color can range from bright red to soft orange. All potential princesses should have at least one Cinderella pumpkin nearby in case their fairy godmothers happen by to create a magical carriage ride to the local ball.

Red Warty Ting is a head turner. Its lumpy bumpy skin contributes texture and rich color to pumpkin groupings. It is also the ultimate witch’s face. Carve the eyes and mouth, and insert a small winged and warted gourd for her nose. Add a witch’s black hat and broom. Chilling!

Knuckleheads have large bumps on medium-sized orange pumpkins. They make weird and wonderful jack-o-lanterns.

So what are you going to do with all these captivating Cucurbitas? Create fun fall displays by simply grouping them together with Indian corn on straw bales positioned in front of some broomcorn. Or include a few in your containers to give them a seasonal flair. Fill a birdbath with winged and warted gourds. Or place a few pumpkins in your perennial borders where color is waning.

Make a centerpiece by using a pumpkin as the vase for a dried arrangement. Just hollow it out, drop n a block of floral foam, and insert the seed heads of millet, ornamental grasses, coneflowers and sedum.

Use smaller pumpkins to make topiaries. Start with a small container. Cut floral foam to fit and then cover the foam with artificial leaves or moss. Glue three to five pumpkins in graduating sizes. Tie some raffia around the pot.

Making pumpkin centerpieces is even easier. Choose the candle and a miniature pumpkin. Trace around the candle on top of the pumpkin and carve out that section. Insert the candle — done! They look as lovely on a deck railing as they do on your dining room table.

Capture the essence of autumn in a new way this year. Traditional orange pumpkins are nice, but there are so many more choices to spice up your home — inside and out.

ŸDiana Stoll is a horticulturist and the retail manager at The Planter’s Palette, 28W571 Roosevelt Road, Winfield. Call (630) 293-1040 or visit planterspalette.com.