I remember the first time a saw a collection of bottle trees in someone’s garden. I suppose the odd sight appealed to me because of my love for colored glass. I was thrilled with the eclectic visual boost the bottle trees gave to the lovely garden. When I discovered that bottle trees were deeply rooted in folk history, I was hooked.

Most believe that bottle trees got their roots in the Congo area of Africa in the 9th Century A.D. Other sources date bottle trees back to 1600 B.C. Tales evolved and circulated that spirits could live in them – probably from people who heard wind moaning over the bottles, which led to the belief that “bottle imps” could be captured in glass vessels. Blue bottles were hung upside down on trees and huts as talismans to ward off evil spirits. Bottles were also tied to trees near important locations such as meeting places or crossroads to trap any spirits that were travelling.

Personally, I just love colored glass. I usually have colored wine bottles, vases, and antique vessels on a shelf inside my kitchen window. I love the way the light catches the colors. Colored glass is something I always search through when I wander into an antique store when traveling.

Wine bottle trees come in many different shapes and forms even hanging!

Many wine bottle trees are homemade of rebar which can be shaped into many different shapes.

Speaking of creative projects, it’s time for the monthly Thrift Store Decor Team projects. That’s right, it is the second Wednesday of the month. My creative team members and I have brand new thrifty decor DIY projects for you. Check them out at the end of this post!

Homegrown Wine Bottle Tree

This was once a thriving Rose of Sharon ornamental bush.

It had become quite large. My friend, Rose, gave me a small clipping which eventually yielded several other small bushes that I scattered around my yard. This particular bush was the largest and lasted around 10 years. About 2 years ago, we had an unseasonable cold winter, for Alabama. And this shrub did not survive.

The other day, we were in the pool. G-baby Blu (just turned 7!!!!) was swimming. We were watching some itty bitty lizards on the Cannas when I thought…bottle tree branches! So, that’s how we arrived at this project. Let’s turn this shrub carcass into a wine bottle tree!

First step, was to clean up this sad looking carcass of a shrub. As I am prone to rash from poison ivy, Mr. Blu, and his helper Mia, took on this task and cleared all of the miscellaneous vines and weeds from around the base of the shrub.

I gathered bottles from around the house. I did have to indulge in some wine over the last few weeks to increase my number of on hand EMPTY wine bottles.

I removed the labels and capsules from the bottles. Educational tip for the day: A capsule is a metal wrapping around holds cork tightly preventing the wine from drying up or evaporating too quickly.

I gave all of the bottles a cleaning and I was off to the bush carcass.

Test Your Wine Bottle Tree Branches

I randomly placed some bottles on the branches to see if I would need to stagger the height of the branches to make the bottle tree more visually appealing. I wasn’t sure if this would be necessary as my bottles were of various sizes.

It was during this process that I realized how rotted the branch were. While some of the larger branches were secure, many of the smaller ones were quite rotted. So, I tested their strength and ability to hold the weight of the bottles. Some of the branches actually broke of under the weight of the bottles. The last thing I want is broken glass around the pool. Although no one really walks around this side of the pool, broken glass and pools are never a good fit. So, once this project is completed, I will removed the old stump and relocate the bottle somewhere else in the yard.

To remedy the broken branches, I would just add some “faux” branches.

I had just trimmed up a crepe Myrtle nearby and had many discarded limbs waiting to be place curbside for trash removal. I cleaned a few of the limbs , snapped them to desired length and grabbed my Ryobi cordless drill. I selected a few empty spaces among the branches. I drilled a hole about 2 inches into the branch angled like the true limbs would be. I slipped the replacement branch into the hole and gave her a firm wiggle to see if she would adequately hold a wine bottle. On a few holes, I had to drill a little deeper to ensue the stability of my replacement branch.

The holes were trial and error. I worked my way around the stump until many of the spaces were filled with beautiful glass bottles. I did have to make some adjustments after a small storm as some more of the branches had broken off.

I just filled in the empty areas with more branches.

I have a bottle tree on my deck filled with special bottles that I have collected in my travels. I have bottles from Ireland, London, and Paris. V brought me a bottle from Hein Spain. We mark special occasions by saving bottles as well.

Here is the finished bottle tree.

There are some spaces that can be filled in as I find more bottles. I need to find some red! How cool would those be?

As promised, here are the other projects from the Thrift Store Decor Team. We are excited to move into the fall season and start our seasonal and holiday projects. Enjoy!

Vintage Picnic Basket Makeover

Repurpose A Paint Can

Art Makeover with Mod Podge

Upcycled Bundt Pan Pumpkin

Repurposed Rustic Table Centerpiece

Upcycle Idea for an Under Cabinet Paper Towel Holder

Create Your Own Bottle Trees In Your Garden

The post Create Your Own Bottle Trees In Your Garden appeared first on Shop at Blu.

Spring has really teased us with a few 70 degree days here in Alabama this week.  But the cold weather back will be back for the weekend. I did take advantage of the beautiful weather over the last week.  Here are 10 things I did just this week to get my yard ready for spring

I am joining 12 friends in a pre-mature celebration of Spring! We are sending you warm and nurturing vibes to get through the month of March as we make our way to Easter.

Thanks to Carol from Blue Sky At Home for organizing this fun little hop and serving, once again, as our hostess! If you are joining me from Laura’s blog at Everyday Edits, welcome! I love a good tiered feature with some vibrant color in the kitchen, or anywhere! I am so glad you are here!

At the end of this post, you will find all 12 links to some beautiful spring happiness! Be sure to visit each of my talented friends for some inspo! Perhaps we can hurry Spring along!

Let’s get on with my tips for prepping your garden for spring!

If we are talking spring prep, I am starting in the yard!

1-Trim Low Hanging Branches

 We have some mature trees on our property that we failed to trim over the years.  The limbs began to block the sun from reaching the grass in certain areas.  Consequently, the grass had died off in these areas.  Our back yard has a slight slope so when it rained, the water just ran over the dirt and washed away some of the top soil.  We hired someone last year to trim upper branches. But I can maintain the lower branches that i hat I can reach from the ground. Keeping those tree shaped ensures that you have beautiful grass below the canopy.

My Ryobi Pole Saw extends to 9.5 feet so I am able to get many of these lower branches. 

I have a full size chain saw but I like to make sure Mr. Blu or V ( child #5) is around when I am using that tool. But his pole saw, I am comfortable using any time, I’ve become a wiz with this handy Ryobi tool.

Smaller limbs that are under 2″ in diameter are easy to trim.  It is just a matter of placing the blade on the limb and pushing the trigger.  Larger limbs require a few more safety precautions in addition to the obvious of:

1. Keep your personal limbs, digits, and body parts away from the blade.
2. Only trim branches of the recommended size for your tool.
3. Follow manufacturer’s recommended instructions.
4. Position your self correctly to stay clear of falling limbs.

Limb Trimming Methods:

1. Make a small undercut of about 1/4″-1″, depending on the limb size, about 1-2 feet from where the limb meets the tree base.
2. Place your blade on the top side of the limb about 12″ from the undercut going toward the end of the branch and away from the trunk.  This prevents damage to the bark.
3. Make your 3rd cut closer to the trunk where the branch transitions from bumpy to smooth.

The best tutorial I found is from my friend Chelsea at Today’s Homeowner.  She does a great job of explaining how proper pruning techniques are critical to the longevity of your tree by ensuring optimal healing of the cut area.  Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions and follow strict safety guidelines when using any type of tool.

While the weather is not ready for me to work in the yard every day, I can trim a few trees here and  there to help get the yard ready for spring.

2-Plan Window Box Planters

I love a good window box.  All of these planters from my store, The Blue Building Antiques, which closed in 2019. 

I plan to hang these around my newly built deck.  But there are quite a few so I want to make sure they are placed tastefully.  

In preparing to plant, I researched coconut liners.  Whew!  They can be quite expensive.  I finally found some alternatives on Amazon.

I did find these reasonably priced round coconut liners in store at Walmart for $4.97!  And online for $3.97

I also found a 60″ liner at Walmart.com for $3.97.  Great buy!

How about buying a sheet of coconut liner and form fitting each planter?  This comes in 15″ x 40″ or 80″ roll.  I ordered the 80″ to start.  40″ roll basically costs the price of one basket liner at Home Depot.  I should get 2 liners out of the one roll.

I’ve used coco liners to upcycle these thrift store hanging planters in the past.

I will get the boxes ready with liners and soil and then the fun begins in selecting the right sun tolerant plants.

3-Trim Stray Limbs from Bushes, Shrubs, and Small Trees

We have quite a few bushes in our front garden beds and in the pool area.  By spring, they all need some attention to trim stray growth and tidy up their appearance.  During spring and summer, active growth season, we tend to trim these every 2 months or so.  But at the beginning of spring, we do an more aggressive trimming.  This seems to promote new growth.

This includes reshaping boxwoods.  I bought these great topiary sheers last year. 

I use them to shape my boxwoods which I bought quite small but they are growing nicely.  Every few months, I devote about 30 minutes to shaping the bushes.

4-Plan a Garden Around the Mailbox

Our yard gets full direct Alabama sun all day long.  In years past I would buy colorful and lovely annuals only to watch them be scorched to death.  This year I’m not going to fool myself into thinking that I will drag the hose or tote a watering can every day to the mailbox garden when June arrives.  So I am planning a more thoughtful and water tolerant garden for this area.  Thus far, I have purchased a few snap dragons.  Not only are the snaps heat tolerant, but in Alabama, they usually come back the next year.  Double win!  Here is the mailbox area:

Last year I spread the ever heat tolerant and impossible to kill Spiderwort around the yard.  They have a vibrant purple flower and are super easy to grow.  Aren’t the purple blooms pretty?

But they are extremely invasive and I am ready to thin them out dramatically.  They will be coming out of the front garden this year.  I might keep a few but they literally take over and I am completely over them!  I consider them more of a weed.

The circled areas below are all spiderwort. Every spring I remove two thirds of the spider wort in the yard.

5-Apply Pre-Emergent Weed Control to Lawn

I am lucky to have a weed control service who does this for me but this is critical to keeping weeds at bay.  It’s almost too late here in Alabama but grass is just starting to green up so there is still some time.  You can apply a good pre-emergent weed killer with a larger rolling broadcast spreader or a hand held spreader. 

I used a hand held unit for spreading ant bait and pest killer.  It’s great for smaller areas.  It’s perfect for inside our fenced pool area, to which I did dispense the pre-emergent this week.  And in researching for this post, I found that Ryobi now makes a hand spreader!  

In the past, I have used this pre-emergent weed killer from Home Depot.

My understanding is that the pre-emergent does not contain any fertilizer.  It simply stops the formation of new root cells in baby weed plants without affecting roots of established grass and plants. 

6-Use Topsoil to Even the Lawn

Our home is about 30 years old but the soil seems to settle a little more each year.  I like to have some topsoil on hand to fill ruts and sinking areas in the yard.  I simply fill the holes and the grass normally grows over the top soil within 2-4 weeks.  Can you see the dips in the lawn?

For larger sinking spots, I have used a razor knife to score the grass into a sheet and pull back the layer of grass with a shovel. I spread some topsoil to level the ground and replace the grass.  It’s much easier just to spread some top soil as long as you don’t mind the bare spots on the lawn until the grass grows through. But adding soil beneath the grass eliminates the soil patches.  Either way works. The digging is a little more time consuming than simply spreading top soil over the sunken areas.

Here are the spots with top soil added.  

7-Freshen the Flower Beds 

I started to weed the front garden against our house.  This will take another session or two.  I have to do it in stages.  I simply block out sections of 5 and do one section at a time.  Many of the plants need to be thinned out.  Like these daffodils who are way overcrowded!  I thin them out each spring and scatter them to new places around our property.

While I can still tell the daffodils from the spiderwort and lilies, I will split those spiderwort from the bulbs and discard those pesty invaders. 

It’s also nice to refresh your mulch each spring too!  There is nothing like the smell and look of a freshly mulched garden.  I usually add a few bags each spring.  But this year, I will do the entire front garden areas.  Home Depot usually has their much on sale for 4 bags for $10 for several weeks in the spring.  I just saw that sale begin so I will grab some this weekend.

As you can see, our garden beds needs mulch!!!  And weeding and refreshing!  I will be very busy out there soon.

While it may be a little too cool to actually do your planting, it’s a great idea to have the beds ready for that first glorious perfect spring day. This ensures that when I drive by Home Depot or Lowes and see those beautiful colors of the array of spring plants I can grab a few and get them right into the ground.

8-Perform Maintenance on Tools and Equipment

A pre-spring check up of all lawn and garden equipment and tools is a great idea.  Here is a small list of items to check:

1. Put that riding mower in for maintenance before everyone gets theirs out for the first cut and realize they have issues.  Sharpen your blade. Change oil and fuel.  Buy additive.
2. Sharpen blades and edges on trimmers, pruners, lobbers, etc.  
3. Replace any filters on equipment.
4. Check tire pressure and condition.
5. Ensure your motorized equipment starts smoothly. 
6. Check the pool filter and condition of liners, steps, etc.

These items are a good place to start!  While these are just a few suggestions, I’m sure you could add 50 other tasks to this list.  Here are some more projects that are on my list for spring:

9-Stock Up on Supplies for My Next Spring Projects

Once the weather is consistently above 60 degrees I have a few larger outdoor projects to tackle.  When I saw the associated products on sale this week, I grabbed them. 

10-Pressure Wash the Walkway

My Ryobi pressure washer is the perfect size for small projects and beginners.   Every 3 years or so, the walkway from the driveway to our entry need a refresh. It’s that third year so this is on my project list. Once the weather is consistently warmer, I will use it to pressure wash the house.  I purchase a $10 jug of Zep pressure washing solution to make the driveway process go more quickly.  

11-Pressure Wash Driveway

We have been in our home for 20 years!  And you can tell from the driveway.  This will be a big project with my current Ryobi pressure washer.  I will most likely invest in a larger unit that works a bit more quickly and has more power.  But, it is a great unit for small projects. 

12-Clean the House Siding

Two years ago is the last time I pressure washed the exterior vinyl siding on our house.  One side of our home is shaded by trees so the sun does not hit that wall and there tends to be algae and mildew on the siding.  This product was phenomenal.  It simply attaches to your hose. I made one spray application and let it sit for about 15 minutes before a final rinse.  I would say 95% of the green mildew was removed in this fashion.  There were a few more stubborn spots.  For these, I simply made a second application and that did the trick.

So I bought some 30 Seconds for this season and I’m ready for the perfect day to get the hose out and de-moss the siding!

13-Sprinkle Spring Indoors

With all of the gorgeous spring flowers beginning to thrive, I decided to take advantage of their beauty. n It’s still too early to plant in the outside gardens as we will still have a few frosty mornings. But these glorious colors are hard to resist. So I appeased that urge and grabbed some for indoors.

 I have a nice collection of vintage items so I used some to decorate my home.  This post, 5 Simple Ways to Add Spring to Your Decor, jump started my spring decorating and I just can’t seem to stop!

These upcoming outdoor projects will keep my busy for the next few weeks.  Let me know…what have you done so far to get ready for spring! Any special projects on the planner?

Below are all of the links to my creative friends’ spring posts. If you are visiting in order, your next stop is Make Everyday an Event where Annmarie is sharing her sweet Easter bunny wreath that she made from boxwood wreaths. LOVE THIS!

Be sure to leave a comment on each blog letting the creator know what you liked! We love your comments and suggestions. And we appreciate your support. So, if you like what you see, please pin!

Happy ALMOST Spring!

NOTE: There were some link issues with the links below. I am working on this!

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