Edie

Help, Help, Help! I received a bottle tree from my sister for my birthday. It is metal, the "trunk" and "stems" are metal. It sticks into the ground like a hanging basket holder does. It holds 15 bottles -- I am using small green and brown beer bottles (compliments of neighbors) and I noticed that it fell down. So I pounded in two ends of a coat hanger over the "planter" post and put a brick on top of it. Well, we had a deluge here in St. Paul and it fell over anyhow. I have it in a special area of the garden and am planning to put lights inside of the bottle for Christmas (sort of decorate the garden). How in heck do I keep it from falling over. Any help anyone can give me would be greatly appreciated. I already thought of the yard, but I would have to pull it out each time we mowed. Bottle gardens are not super popular here in the Midwest; the only people, actually, in the whole world that I know have one is my two sisters and I! I didn't even know what it was when my sister gave it to me. But now I just love it. You can google it and just see how exciting they are to have in a garden. I would love to go for red, yellow, amber, blue and green bottles - Five bottle colors - 15 stems. I can just see it! Thanks for your help. Edie

Baren*eh*ked_canadian

I looked it up, it's pretty cool! I'd never heard of that before.
I have no idea how you would keep it from falling over... The only thing I could think of was to take a long 4x4 piece of wood, drill a hole in the center that's pretty deep, and the exact diameter of your tree trunk, and then bury the piece of wood so that it's flush with the ground, or just a bit under. Then put the 'trunk' in the hole. It might be more sturdy than just planting the thing right in the ground. You could mow the lawn around the piece, and just pass the whipper snipper around the edges where you don't reach with the mower.
Just a suggestion :)

tlrnhi

I had to Google it to see what it was. Never heard of such a thing!
Other than digging a hole deeper and what Melanie suggests, I can't think of anything........

Edie

Thanks ever so~ I was just outside - darn near froze my pants off! I was checking it out. That is a really good idea and we do have extra wood in the garage. Keeping the whole thing under ground would probably give it more strength and stability, right? :?: Aren't they just the neatest thing? And if you read the story about the bottle tree you will note that it came from the ninth century and hanging the bottles upside down would keep the evil spirits in the bottle. Dumb spirits - they can get in, but they can't get out? I don't believe in that at all, but then I have wind chimes all over the yard too! Just for tackiness, I guess! I love our yard. I just pulled out the hanging basket poles (or whatever you call them - we in the boonies call them Shepherd's Crooks - and I moved them to the front window and will hang bird feeders from them and I can sit and sew and watch the birds. But before I can do that, being that the Vikings are not on TV today, I will wash the windows in the front room here. Then I have the morning sun shining in the window, my sewing machine right there and everything else and I am all set to go! Edie

tlrnhi

Sounds like a plan!
Sitting and sewing and watching the birds? What better can life offer? :)

MissTreated

You might even try staking it with some tent stakes and some good hefty monofilament to keep it in place. I so something similar with a little metal Christmas tree I put outside during the season.

justwannaquilt

you could also dig a hole in the ground fill it with ready mix/quikrete then stick the tree trunk in it, it won't be going ANYWHERE!

Edie

Good Morning: That is exactly what I did. I had an aluminum tube about 5 feet tall and pounded it into the ground to about 3 feet above. I temporarily tied it down with twine, but have some good wire that I can attach it to. It is standing proudly now, with bottles attached thereto and someday when our son comes over (he works on computers all day long) and has the time to show me (and I have to write everything down or I totally forget what he told me, besides which he talks fast) how to put the pictures in to pass them on, I will show my bottle tree to any and all! I have decided to let it rust and be rustic. I did get the sewing room area all ready for my sewing. Had a nice windy day yesterday to wash windows and hang curtains outside. This is the time of year when you have to make hay while the sun shines and it did and I did! And what room is more important than the sewing/computer room. Today it is supposed to be icky out - cold windy and rain! I am hoping to get the living room windows washed and curtains done, but I don't even know if I can do that. Never know around here - it might just snow! Thanks again for your help. Edie