By Barbara Brown
Gardening Grandma says, “Add a bottle tree to your garden to protect your home from bad luck!” Truth or myth?
I think we can all agree that this is a myth. However, it is a myth with a very long and colorful history. The practice originated in African cultures where bottle trees were believed to attract and capture evil spirits at night. This tradition was brought to the Americas by enslaved Africans in the 1700s. Blue bottles were considered the most effective at warding off bad spirits. Although blue wine bottles may be used, in the past, milk of magnesia bottles were often saved for this purpose.
“Folklore and written sources from as early as 1776 indicate that this centuries-old custom originated in the kingdom of Kongo on the West African coast, where vessels were combined with tree branches. When Africans were brought to the Americas as slaves, some were able to continue this practice, using whatever resources they had available. Variations appeared on islands in the Caribbean. The more familiar bottle trees we recognize today were likely a Creole invention, becoming particularly prominent in the southern United States from East Texas to South Carolina, where bottles were often placed on the branches of crape-myrtle trees.” (“The American Bottle Tree” Smithsonian Garden Library)
Folks outside of the South may have learned about bottle trees in the 1930s from a popular short story written by Mississippi WPA worker Eudora Welty. Today, displaying a bottle tree can be an example of folk art, a landscape enhancement or a method of recycling and repurposing glass bottles.
How to make a bottle tree: You have several choices to display your bottle tree. You may choose to use an existing tree or a large shrub. (Historically, crepe myrtles were popular choices.) Clear the branches of leaves and slide on your chosen bottles. Alternatively, select a disease-free dead tree branch. Clean it of any leaves, and remove several branches on the cut end to provide a stable platform for inserting the branch into the ground. Clean the branch and allow it to dry thoroughly. Then use a wood sealant to protect it from insects and water. For a less labor-intensive approach, you can order a bottle tree stand from several online sources.
Once your stand is ready, select a location to “plant” your bottle tree where it gets some sun. “Preferably locate it where shafts of sunlight strike it through an opening in the canopy so that for a few magical minutes each day the bottle tree glows while the background is subdued in shadow.” (The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture: “Bottle Tree.”) Enjoy!
Happy Gardening!
