Using a Bottle Tree as a Trellis
1 Material
$40.00
10 Minutes
Easy
I placed a bottle tree in the garden by a patch of Morning Glory that was springing up, giving it a place to climb. By the middle of summer, the wild Morning Glory vines and volunteers are rambling and climbing everywhere in the garden.
Since it's hard to get rid, I'm enjoying the pretty blue blooms and trying to control this particular patch and where it rambles.
The Southern tradition of the bottle tree is thought to have arrived with the slave trade from Africa, with the superstition that the bottles would trap and repel evil spirits.
Blue bottles were most often used, thought to lure the evil spirits with their bright color. Once the spirits were lured inside the bottles at night, they were believed to be trapped there, destroyed by sun in the light of day.
Bottle trees have evolved as garden art and you can find them available at garden centers, flea markets, in catalogs and online these days. There are lots of varieties to be had, from hanging bottle trees to planter bottle tree stakes and larger free-standing versions, to brighten up your garden and add interest.
I used a combination of recycled and old bottles, with a couple of blue ones for their sparkling bright color and nod to tradition.
Morning Glory blooms last a day, opening in the morning as the name suggests, with the flowers fading by the afternoon. It grows rapidly in here in the South, thriving in full sun and poor soil and tends to be invasive. It will bloom until the first frost, which is usually November here in North Carolina. To help prevent re-seeding, remove spent blooms as they fade.
I placed pair of garden gloves on the bottle tree, as totems, planted by my Potting Shed.
More photos and details at the link below!
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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2 of 24 comments
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Way too cute.
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Thanks for sharing your unique bottle tree! But, I absolutely adore your shed, it is so cute! I have a cute little shed that my hubby built for me to do furniture refinishing in. Lol, it got me out of his garage/workshop! I’m thinking of using your idea on the side of my shed where nothing will really grow. It’s full, hot Texas sun with soil that’s not too great. Thanks for the ideas!
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This is so dang BEAUTIFUL. !!!!! Thank you for sharing. Where did pretty painted bottle? You might have said and I missed it. 😑. I would love to have a bottle tree but our yard it seems is very little dirt on top of plate rock. ARRRRG!!! Lol
What did you use to make the branches and trunk?
How are the rods held together?