Broccoli is a cool weather plant that typically grows rapidly from the leaf phase to the flower and then seed phase. It will sometimes bolt and grow very tall during times of stress to the plant (which can be caused by high temperatures). By bolting, the plant is attempting to reproduce to the seed stage before it dies off.  I am including a link to an article which will provide you with more details about bolting.
https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/broccoli
As for your question about the ornamental gourds, these might be a Koshare Yellow Banded Gourd which is fairly new on the market.  Hope that helps!