I am a collector of Skye vodka bottles that will one day go into my garden bottom-up in a giant blue spiral.  For those of you who celebrate mightily this holiday season, think twice before you dispose of the bottles or send for recycling.  These are valuable garden making materials that are colorful, weather proof and best of all, free. 

Buried nose down into the soil, this collection of multicolored wine bottles resulted in beautifully paved steps. 

In the opening of the movie Ray, a bottle tree in the yard of poor black folks in the south is prominent in those scenes.  This is a legacy of African religions.  A bottle tree is thought to catch the bad spirits lured into the colored bottles before they can enter the house.  Often a dead tree tree or shrub in the front yard is decoratively utilized in this way.  This bottle tree is a bit atypical in that it uses a living tree and bottles in blue or orange glass only.

When back lit, the bottle tree glass becomes bright globes of color particularly beautiful on a sunny day in the dreary winter garden.

TIP:  If you’re not a drinker or need more bottles than you consume, take walks on recycling pick up days and bring your bags.  You’ll find your neighbors set out their cast off wine and booze bottles all separated into recycling bins for your convenience!