Gourds come in all different shapes and sizes, which make them perfect for crafts. People love to make gourd birdhouses, decorative gourds, and gourd containers.
There are different types of gourds, including edible squashes like butternut and pumpkins and the hard-shelled gourds that we sell here at Gourdaments. Just as the edible squashes come in many different varieties, so too do the hard-shelled, ornament gourds. Here is a short list of the most common hard-shell gourd shapes by name with pictures.
Banana Gourd
It doesn't take much of an imagination to see how these gourds earned their name! Shaped like their fruit namesake, these can range in size from 4 or 5 inches to upwards of 9 inches.
Birdhouse Gourd
The birdhouse gourd is also called a Purple Martin or Kettle gourd. These are one of most common gourds you can find, and their wide-bottom shape makes them perfect for birdhouses as well as free-standing decorative gourds.
Bottle Gourd
These are little bottle gourds, but you can see their distinct shape that gives them their name. With a nipped in middle, these gourds make great animals, seasonal characters, and more.
Cannon Ball Gourd
I love these (almost) perfectly round hard-shelled gourds. They make great containers, if you are willing to use the proper tools to safely open and clean the inside of a gourd.
Spinner Gourd
The spinner gourds are rolly-polly gourds with large bottoms and tiny tops. They can be small enough to make jewelry and are charming little hard-shelled gourds!
There's your crash course in dried gourd shapes. We sell many of these unfinished gourds, or you can explore our gourd birdhouses and ornaments. You can also see a much longer list of gourd shapes on the American Gourd Society website.