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Written by Lynda Owen
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Monday, 06 October 2008 18:50 |
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Gourds are great at the moment; choose from a huge variety of shapes and colours to make an autumnal display in your living room. Most good florist shops will be selling interesting varieties from large pumpkins, Turks turbans with cottage loaf tops, Patti pans, cream frilly edged flat types and many knobbly others. Just a bowl of unusual shapes and colours will make a statement. Or you can make little creatures or small Harvest and Halloween gift arrangements for friends and family.
I have arranged three gourds chosen for their distinctive colouring on to a shiny black plate to emphasize their colours. Here’s how to do it.
Six easy steps 
| Step 1 - Choose gourds with flat bases so that they will stand unaided. Slice off the top and keep to one side. Scoop out the seeds and flesh from inside the gourd and discard.
|  | Step 2 - Soak OASIS® Ideal floral foam. Wrap the soaked foam in polythene to protect the inside of the gourd. Make sure the foam stands proud of the gourd by approximately 2 cm.
If you place soaked foam into the gourd without a polythene protection, the water will soak into the gourd and it will start to rot immediately.
|  | Step 3 - Use the lids of the gourd as part of the arrangement. Anchor into place with a wire. Then add the flowers as desired. Just a few autumn flowers, grasses and leaves picked from the garden will make great arrangements. Step 4 - I have made one taller arrangement with one Gallardia head, three Physalis heads, grasses and dried leaves. The lid of the gourd is placed at a jaunty angle to the side. |  | Step 5 - For the other arrangement I have used the lid on top of the foam and made a circle of red Chillie Peppers, green Physalis heads and lime green grasses. |  | Step 6 - Have fun with some gourds by making them into little creatures. With a few pearl headed pins for eyes and a Physalis hat this gourd is turned into a green eyed ghost. |
Copyright © 2008 Lynda Owen. All Rights Reserved. |
