I first saw blue bottles upended on bamboo poles many years ago in a garden and I translated the wonderful idea into my garden using four or five foot pencil rebar as the stakes which let the bottles sway gently and at times sound against one another. Most recently I discovered blue bottles on the ends of an actual plant in front of a house by which Grandkid and I stroll. My antenna went out for bottles – I tried clear bud vases but they didn't quite work – and green bottles for some reason looked too much like wine bottles (which they were, of course). Then I came across some blue bottles – flat bottomed – okay – but when I turned these two over and saw the concave bottoms – I gave them a hug. On bamboo stakes beside the scented geranium that got sun/windburned on the deck and is now feeling much cooler in the shade of the bridal wreath, the bottles seem to have passed the appraisal and approval of Bombay, the neighbourhood cat. They do collect rain water and I am using the dimples for treasures I find when digging in the earth like this piece of blue willow. Was it perhaps a cup that got broken during a garden tea party?
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4 responses to “Blue bottles in the garden”
I have been collecting blue bottles for awhile now. Last year I used on as the base of a toadstool I made. This year I’m slowly adding some of those flat gems to it and will use it as the base for a teacup feeder.
Hi Crafty Do you have a photo of the toadstool? And what do you mean “flat gems”? You’ve got me curious! I came across a small simple blue bottle at a sale yesterday and have it on a green bamboo stake on deck – enjoying its ‘aloneness’ for the moment but might move it down into the garden with the other two. What comes in those blue bottles – is it a drink?
The bluebottle is the base of the toadstool and I used a flower pot tray with mosaics on it for the top. This link should take you to the one on my blog. If it doesn’t work, just go to my blog and in the categories at the side look for garden toadstools. The picture was taken before it was put out into the garden.
http://craftygardener.blogspot.com/search/label/garden%20toadstools
Yes, Crafty, the link worked – thanks. What a neat idea. I like what you did with the ‘caps’ – the mosaics. And I bet the garden gnomes do have fun with them when mere mortals are not looking.