Bottle tree
Fall arrived on Friday with a last gasp (I hope) of oppressively hot and humid weather. Despite the mugginess, I worked outdoors with a circular saw, cordless drill, and concrete all morning, creating a bottle tree in the back garden. As regular readers may know, I’ve been coveting a bottle tree since visiting my mother’s house last June and admiring her bottle “shrub” (bottles stuck on flexible, green garden stakes).
My tree as seen from the back of the garden
The bottle tree, for those wondering what the heck I’m talking about, is a Southern, folk-art garden tradition from the African-American community. The bottles, it’s said, trap evil spirits swirling around out there, keeping them out of your home. Bottle trees are just plain fun, not to mention a beautiful way to reuse junk. The cobalt-blue bottles are traditional. Mine were a gift from M. Sinclair Stevens—thanks, M.!
You can find some great pictures of bottle trees, as well as construction advice and personal reminiscences about the tradition, at Deep South’s bottle tree page.
The bottle tree is singing the blues, but red and yellow are still strong in my garden right now. I took these photos this morning, before the 1″ of driving rain we got this afternoon.
Oxblood lily with Turk’s cap flowers
A long-ish shot of the back garden by the patio. Yellow bells is still reaching skyward. Mounding ‘Indigo Spires’ salvia and ‘Marie Pavie’ rose bloom in front of it. In the left foreground grows a Mexican plum, which recently dropped one of its three fruits.
This is the first summer that my Mexican plum has borne fruit. Contrast the tiny Mexican plum with a regular-size plum from the grocery.
From plums to cherries . . . The Barbados cherry bush is blooming again, thanks to recent rains. Now that we’ve removed part of the kids’ old playset, I can actually enjoy this shrub’s flowering; it used to be hidden behind an elevated playhouse. (More on my redesign of the kids’ play area to come later.)
Barbados cherry with birdhouses
Tomorrow—well, today at this point—is supposed to be cooler and drier, with a north breeze and highs only in the 80s. Sounds great! I intend to be outdoors most of the day, working in the back garden.
Postscript: My bottle tree enjoyed a growth spurt—see photos.
The Bottle tree looks great! I’m impressed at your carpentry talents. I’ve seen those trees only in photos, and always thought they looked like fun. Since you got the bottles from MSS, I’m glad to see they are graceful longer-necked bottles – I’d hate to think that M would have so many empty containers of the traditional blue Milk of Magnesia variety:)
Your Esperanza looks fantastic. The individual flowers are lovely, and I never get tired of Esperanza combined with blue salvias.
An inch of rain?? Not one drop up here, just clouds and lots of wind. Getting rain around Austin has been like winning at roulette this summer.
Pam, what sort of sun exposure does your Barbados Cherry get? I have one in a container that I keep moving around, trying to decide where it should be planted. It’s green and growing but makes very few flowers. I can’t decide if it needs more sun to bloom, watering is at fault, or if it’s just unhappy at being confined.
Annie
Thanks, Annie. A bottle tree is not to everyone’s taste (though what is?); my husband, for instance, doesn’t care for it. Ah well, it’s there now! The Barbardos cherry gets a lot of midday sun, probably 6 or 7 hours. It gets hardly any supplemental water, but it is planted in a low spot in the yard, so perhaps it does receive a little extra when it rains. —Pam
Comment by Annie in Austin — September 24, 2006 @ 11:39 am
Love your bottle tree! I’m having thoughts of redesigning my ’shrub’ since your tree is so stately and showy! Your garden looks like it has a lot of color. Looking forward to my visit in a couple of weeks! mom
Thanks! Though I hope you won’t take apart your bottle shrub. I loved its casual, branching jewel tones among your hollyhocks. Maybe you could surprise your neighbors with a bottle tree in the front yard. Hmm, I wonder how that would go over? :-) —Pam
Comment by June Tarr — September 25, 2006 @ 3:45 pm
Thanks for the story behind the bottle tree. I’ve seen them before, but always wondered what they were for.
Comment by r sorrell — September 26, 2006 @ 1:49 pm
Annie, the blue bottles are an indication of my fondness for a certain brand of sake.
Pam, the bottle tree turned out great. You have such a flair with your garden ornaments. There was an article or a short story in the Austin Chronicle years ago about someone’s front yard bottle tree (in Tarrytown, I think). It would probably be admired in the core neighborhoods–but met with suspicion in the suburbs.
Thanks, M. I think you’re right that suburban appreciation for bottle trees might be less enthusiastic than in urban neighborhoods. Of course, the tradition comes from the rural South, but then anything goes when you’re out in the sticks.
I should give credit to local artist Lauren Levy, whose bottle tree in her Allandale front yard inspired my tree’s design. —Pam
Comment by M Sinclair Stevens (Austin) — September 28, 2006 @ 8:44 am
i just found your website as i am researching how to build a bottle tree. i note you used a piece of lumber which is what i had planned to use as i cannot figure out how in the world i can find a dead cypress or cedar tree and put it up in my yard. please share with me the size of the lumber you used. do you just go to lowe’s or home depot to get it?? did you use a post hole digger and quikrete? any tips you can give me would be helpful. i want mine to use different colors of bottles and don’t know where to find amber or yellow. would appreciate your tips. tks marsha
Marsha, I used an old playset post. It’s a 4×4 redwood post, about 8 feet long. You’ll find cedar or treated pine posts at any building supply store. I just shoveled out a 2′ deep hole, mixed some concrete (instructions are on the bag), and poured it in around the post. You’ll need to use a level and brace the pole to make sure it remains straight while the concrete sets. Good luck with your bottle tree! —Pam
Comment by MARSHA — May 8, 2007 @ 12:50 pm
[...] A peek in the shed revealed about a dozen and a half cobalt bottles, dusty and begrimed, but full of promise for a bigger and better bottle tree. As soon as I got home, even before planting the longed-for agave, I set to work with a bucket of sudsy water and started scrubbing dirt and scaping the labels off the bottles. [...]
Pingback by Digging » Now I’ve really got the blues — July 29, 2007 @ 12:57 am
Hello Pam,
My name is Xochilt and I am from Houston Tx., I just wanted to leave you a comment to let you know that your garden is very beautiful, I love all the colors. Specially the bottle tree, I am in 11th grade and my art teacher instructed us to find a good way to decorate our school gardens and she wanted something that would be environmentally healthy. I believe this is a great way to do that, you make your garden look beautiful and you help mother earth. Well I will be keeping up with your page, wish you the best with your garden. Talk to you soon! (:
Hello, Xochilt, and thank you for visiting and for your kind comment. I think a bottle tree would be a great way to decorate your school garden. It’s wonderful that your school is teaching students about gardening and taking care of the environment. Keep up the good work! —Pam
Comment by Xochilt Perrett — September 23, 2009 @ 9:11 pm