I think I am going to do a cardinal vine this summer. The bright red blooms among the blue bottles are wonderful.

What a great idea! I have a blue bottle tree that is in an bare area and it needs more to make it look good. Running a vine up it is a great idea I've never seen.

Karen, I have to keep in mind that most of my bottle tree 'trunks and limbs' are brown or black. If they are in full sun the part of the metal 'tree' that is not shaded by a bottle can get very hot and burn up a vine. This particular tree is protected by a large shade tree before noon and only gets dappled shade during the late afternoon. There are some vines that grow so thickly and rapidly that they do not mind the heat. One that comes to mind is what we call autumn clematis. A vigorous vine that blooms in August and September. The problem with it is you will have to keep it pruned a bit. However, it does not seem to mind a drastic haircut from time to time.

grannysgarden said:Rosie that bottle tree is 'growing' near my 'flower bed'. I framed and laid tiles over a small area and put the bed on it. The tree is heavy and I wired it to the bed so that they both help hold each other in place during a bad wind storm.



This year it had white begonias growing in pots beneath it and I started a morning glory vine up the tree. I think I am going to do a cardinal vine this summer. The bright red blooms among the blue bottles are wonderful.

I found the bed at a flea market sitting to the side of the building. It has a head and foot and a metal bottom. The people that had it thought that the metal bottom was a side and that one side was missing. I guess they had never put it together so I got it for $9. I was very happy. I have not painted it. If it starts to rust I may paint it rust. Forgive the leaves and weeds. My garden is never as neat as it should be..... but neither is my house.... and my car is my 'other purse'. LOL

What weeds?
Yellow would look great with the blue too...and pink.... And white....and bright green....and...😊

Bonnie, my blue bottle tree is in a fairly shaded area. It may get a bit of morning sun. My husband made my tree out of rebar welded together and it is painted black. I'll watch it to see how it goes. Thanks for the great idea to pretty it up!

Homemade ones are the very best! I cant weld and do not know anyone who does but a garden friend had some metal rods welded together to create a bottle bush last year and gave it to me. I love it for many reasons.

My husband didn't know how to weld either, but he just bought the equipment and started going it. His first things were just fine. Maybe a pro welder could have made them prettier, but his stuff is fine for me.

There is not many things perfect in nature and I think garden art should not be perfect either. smiles

Bonnie.

grannysgarden said:There is not many things perfect in nature and I think garden art should not be perfect either. smiles

And that is good -- very good

Someday I will have a bottle tree looking for just the right one..sturdy one that will take our monsoons!

until then, Mary, make a temporary one. Using the cone shaped wire tomato cage supports, I place the large end on the ground, bend the uppermost wire out and place bottles on them. Here is one where I stacked four cages together spacing the wire so the bottles would not touch and placed them on top of a galvanized tub I was using as a large planter. I use wire to attach it to the tub so it will not fall over in a wind storm. Not the best photo. Later I planted a vine that would wind up the wire. You can also sit a pot down into the frame and let a plant 'fountain out' into the bottles.



If you want to do something smaller try a pitchfork leaned on a tree or fence.

And I use tree stumps and spikes. Somtimes use wire thread to string plastic beads, mirrors and baubles along with the bottles. Spark spark sparkle..

Love those BLUE bottles

Bonnie & Rosie! What great ideas! Ok, so I am now officially addicted to this forum I was thinking any old bottle..but the blue ones are pretty. Where do I find blue bottles?

I dumpster dived and then learned the bar recycled.
My DIL has access at the restaurant.
Blue not hard to find.... But RED is.

Also, there may be an outdoor opaque or transparent glass paint. For just a few bottle should not be prohibitive. I will tell you that the prettiest tree I had was ALL BROWN.. All sizes of brown. Looks great in front walkway..and neighbors like it ..tasteful. I lost that one after few years ...it was created on a dead dogwood. I use dead trees...eventually they rot and keel over (after years tho )

I just learned about Bud Platinum beer coming in blue bottles, so I have some.

All of you are so resourceful and artistic. I am not at all. I get ideas but don't pursue them. Had been mulling over the idea of hanging bottles in my citrus trees...with rusty wire, of course and then I started thinking of how great it would be if they glowed in the dark. I guess there is some kind of paint that can make that happen? Anyone have any experience with it?

I found this and if you scroll down, you will see all the colors available

http://www.dickblick.com/produ...

The glow paint is great indoors but few work well for outside. Check out the reviews and be prepared because the good stuff is sold by the half ounce!

May I suggest that you might get as dramatic an impact for a reasonable cost using some kind of flood / uplight on your tree.

You are planning to use the bottles in the most authentic way...bottle trees were used to scare a haint...the open mouth of the bottle hanging off a limb would catch the wind and " howl" thereby protecting the home from the spirits by scaring the tar out of them! The way I do it...on spikes...does not make a sound except when my tree eventually keels over.