# Extreme Garden Art Cultivating Calabash By Alex Covert | Published 2008-01-28 | Unique Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/extreme-garden-art-cultivating-calabash References: [spluch.blogspot](http://spluch.blogspot.com/2008/01/peculiar-calabashes.html) A Chinese gardener has focused his obsessive behavior on growing calabash, a vine whose fruit can be eaten or dried out and used as a container. Sounds like a perfectly normal endeavor until you learn that Mr. Zha has spent 6 years and $830,000 on perfecting his hobby. These are no ordinary calabashes, however - they are conditioned to grow into shapes such as soccer balls, basketballs, chess pieces, and even the Buddha! ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.1/10 - Popularity: 33% | Activity: 21% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Unique](https://www.trendhunter.com/unique) > [Bizarre](https://www.trendhunter.com/bizarre) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Extreme Gardening:** Exploring the trend of gardeners pushing the boundaries of traditional gardening to create unique and unusual designs. - **Specialty Plant Cultivation:** The trend of cultivating specific plants for their unique characteristics and uses, such as growing calabash into shaped containers. - **Nature-inspired Artistry:** The trend of using natural elements, like calabash, to create artistic and visually stunning designs. ### Who This Affects Most - **Landscaping and Gardening:** Opportunity for gardeners and landscapers to offer unique and customized designs using specialty plants. - **Home Decor and Design:** The chance for designers and artists to incorporate nature-inspired artistry, like calabash sculptures, into home decor products. - **Sustainable Packaging:** The potential to revolutionize the packaging industry by using calabash as an eco-friendly alternative to traditional containers. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Impressive DIY Terrariums](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/diy-terrarium1.md) - [Water-Less Minimal Design Gardens](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/botnica.md) - [Outdoor Floral Sculpture Installations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sculptures-at-kew-gardens.md) - [Nature-Inspired Artful Garden Installations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/henderson-art-garden.md) - [Architecture-Inspired Indoor Gardens](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/vegetment-vegetable-cultivator.md) - [Reflective Indoor Gardens](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/space-caviar.md) - [Big-Headed Sculpture Pots](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sculpture-pots.md) - [Cherubic Ceramic Pots](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/avant-arte.md) - [Delicate Basket Designs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/basket-sculpture.md)