What color bottles are used to make a bottle tree?
What is the bottle tree connected to?
How to hang a bottle on a tree?
Why do bottle trees make a sound?
What tree is associated with bottle tree magic?
What color is the bottle on a tree?
Where did bottle trees originate?
See 4 more
About this website
Why do people put blue bottles in their yard?
While the meaning of bottle trees continues to evolve as it has for centuries, one of the more common interpretations is that they protect the home and garden by catching evil spirits, which some say are attracted to the bottles by their bright colors (sometimes made by swirling paint on the inside of a clear bottle).
Why do people have bottle trees in their yard?
One of the more common explanations of the bottle trees is that they protect the home and garden by catching evil spirits. The spirits are attracted to the bottles by their bright colors and once inside, are destroyed by the sunlight.
Why are there blue bottles in trees?
Story Behind the Tree A popular interpretation is that the blue bottle tree protects the home and garden by capturing evil spirits. The evil spirits see the sparkling blue of the bottles and fly into the bottles and become trapped.
What are blue glass bottles used for?
Glass containers in amber, cobalt blue and vintage green offer UV protection for beauty, food and beverage products with sensitivity to light.
Why do people hang empty bottles on trees?
The Origin of the Bottle Tree Most believe that bottle trees got their roots in the Congo area of Africa in the 9th Century A.D. and that the practice was brought over by slaves who hung blue bottles from trees and huts as talismans to ward off evil spirits.
Why do people put bottles on trees in the South?
It is believed that people would place bottles on old tree branches or would even strip a small tree of all its leaves and place bottles on the limbs. The thought was that the bottles would attract evil spirits which would enter the bottles and then become trapped.
Why do people put cans on tree branches?
The bottle tree is popular in the American south, as well as Appalachia, and is said to trap evil spirits and keep them out of your home.
Where do you put a bottle tree?
Bottle tree colors can range from blue, to clear, to brown, but cobalt blue are always preferred: in the Hoodoo folk-magic tradition, the elemental blues of water and sky place the bottle tree at a crossroads between heaven and earth, and therefore between the living and the dead.
What else can you put on a bottle tree?
Any wine, beer, or liquor bottle will work. Cobalt blue bottles are very popular. You can often find very attractive glass liquid soap dispensers at homeware retailers. Vintage green wine bottles with the labels on are also very popular, another great choice is to use a variety of different shapes and color bottles.
Can you drink blue water?
Well, water that has a blue/green tint usually means your home's water has excessive levels of copper. And if humans absorb too much copper (either via skin, inhalation, or ingestion), it can cause: Vomiting. Diarrhea.
Is blue glass valuable?
The value of blue glass varies greatly depending on the condition of the glass and it may differ based on what a seller is asking for it. Reasonably priced vintage cobalt blue selections vary widely in variety and price. A single piece of blue glass may cost anywhere between $15 and $50.
What kind of water comes in a blue bottle?
Like it's non-sparkling counterpart, Saratoga Sparkling Water comes in Saratoga's iconic blue glass bottle.
Why do people put wine bottles on trees?
Glass bottles began circulating through Africa, Egypt, and Mesopotamia in 1600 BC. The belief that spirits could live in these bottles quickly followed. The hope was that by hanging the bottles in a tree, evil spirits would find their way into the wine bottles and become stuck.
Where do you put a bottle tree?
Bottle tree colors can range from blue, to clear, to brown, but cobalt blue are always preferred: in the Hoodoo folk-magic tradition, the elemental blues of water and sky place the bottle tree at a crossroads between heaven and earth, and therefore between the living and the dead.
What are bottle trees called?
bottle tree, any of various trees of the genus Brachychiton, in the hibiscus, or mallow, family (Malvaceae), with some 30 species, nearly all native to Australia. They grow to a height of 18 metres (60 feet).
What else can you put on a bottle tree?
Any wine, beer, or liquor bottle will work. Cobalt blue bottles are very popular. You can often find very attractive glass liquid soap dispensers at homeware retailers. Vintage green wine bottles with the labels on are also very popular, another great choice is to use a variety of different shapes and color bottles.
The Lore of The Bottle Tree, A Revered Appalachian Tradition
I have 4 different metal trees. Got them because they looked neat. Will be getting more blue bottles. Will buy a six pack beer that come in cobalt blue bottles but will use the beer in the BBQ sauce I make and put the bottles on the tree but maybe I will get another tree this summer at the craft fair in June.
Bottle Trees: How to Make Your Own | The Old Farmer's Almanac
When African peoples arrived in the U.S., they created bottle trees from dead trees or large limbs next to their quarters and adorned them with glass bottles scavenged from garbage piles. Blue bottles were coveted, because they repelled evil and trapped night spirits to be destroyed by the rising sun. Many Milk of Magnesia bottles ended up on ...
What Is a Bottle Tree? | How to Make a Bottle Tree | Taste of Home
Similarly, Southerners have long painted porch ceilings blue to ward off bad spirits. Today, bottle trees have spread across the country. One of the most impressive displays sits right on Route 66 in Oro Grande, California. With thousands of vessels glistening in the sun, Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch is more like a bottle forest. How to Make a ...
Who brought the bottle tree to the South?
Like many of the South’s oldest and most colorful customs, the bottle tree tradition was brought to this country by African slaves and continued by Southern African American families and white rural folk.
Where did the shade of blue come from?
The history of haint blue is said to come from the Gullah/Geechee people, a community with ties to the enslaved Africans from the sea islands off South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. According to the Gullah/Geeche culture, this shade of blue represents water, which spirits can not pass over.
Why do people paint their doors blue?
Even in Alabama and other Southern states, if you take a drive in the country, you are liable to see haint blue paint used on doors and porches for the same reason it’s used on bottle trees—to keep those scary spooks, hags and boogers at bay. It supposedly has the added benefit of repelling pesky insects (perhaps blue bottle flies?).
Navigating this Website
The fastest way to find information on this website is to use the search box at the top of every page. Not only will you find articles about your specific question, but you’ll find instances where that subject might have been mentioned in an article about another topic.
About the Tutorials
In the Tutorials Shop, you’ll find a selection of tutorials and eBooks. They are sorted into three categories: Knowledge Series, Technique Series, and Project Series.
About Ginger Davis Allman
I’m the person behind The Blue Bottle Tree. I write the articles on this website and do the research, testing, and reviews myself. I’m also a polymer clay teacher and artist sharing at workshops and events around the world.
What color is a bottle tree?
The creation of bottle trees during this section of history rooted the tradition in the United States' Southern culture. Blue, specifically Cobalt Blue, is by far the most popular color for bottle trees. The belief is that these particular bottles have healing powers.
What is the dominant color of bottle trees?
Today, blue remains the most dominant color for bottle trees. However, bottle trees often have multiple color bottles.
What are bottle trees made of?
As a Southern tradition, bottle trees are always made from blue glass bottles (these could be wine or beer bottles) one saves over the course of several years. The bottles are placed over the branches of a dead tree or rod that stick upright out of the ground. Today, you will find bottle trees in gardens across North America, ...
What tree did African slaves use?
During this time, African slaves on Southern plantations began placing bottles on trees. They commonly used crepe myrtle trees, a tradition that may be connected to the myrtle tree's significance to slaves in the Bible.
When did the bottle tree tradition start?
Amazon. The folk art tradition of creating bottle trees carried over to the people of the Congo starting in the ninth century. African people brought the tradition of bottle trees with them when the slave trades began in the 17th century. During this time, African slaves on Southern plantations began placing bottles on trees.
Where did bottle trees originate?
The folklore that surrounds the origin of bottle trees is truly fascinating. Glass bottles began circulating through Africa, Egypt, and Mesopotamia in 1600 BC.
Where is Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch?
A Southern California desert is home to Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch on Route 66. Elmer Long turned his bottle collection into a bottle tree forest. Be sure to visit the folk art attraction next time you're in Oro Grande, California. Admission is free, but feel free to leave a donation.
Bold, recycled and ideal for anyone with a not-so-green thumb, bottle trees are a Southern tradition with deep roots
Plastic gnomes and flamingos aside, the most perplexing objects I’ve seen sprouting from gardens are glass bottles. This upcycled specimen—a series of colorful, empty vessels branching out from a central trunk—is a bottle tree, and it’s as much a Southern tradition as pecan pie. But its origins reach back centuries and across continents.
What Is a Bottle Tree?
It’s generally agreed that bottle trees date back, at the very least, to the 9th century Congo. However, some garden gurus believe they go back even further—as early as 1600 B.C., when hollow glass bottles first appeared in Mesopotamia. In any event, the tradition carried over to the southern U.S. through the slave trade.
How to Make a Bottle Tree
The quickest way to get your garden glass going is to find a suitable tree and simply slide your bottles onto its branches. But if that’s not an option, you can always buy a pre-constructed metal frame.
Popular Videos
Amelia is a writer who covers both food and travel. Her favorite pilgrimages include Mexico City for the mole, Tel Aviv for the hummus and Wisconsin for the curds. She lives in Los Angeles, where she can be found forever exploring the city's street taco scene.
What is the bottle tree?
Lowcountry Life: The legend of the bottle tree. One of the many traditions steeped in local Lowcountry history is the bottle tree. Over the centuries, the Gullah culture of our sea islands has lent many legends and superstitions to the rest of the Lowcountry and beyond, and the belief in spirits is one of them.
Why do people put bottles on trees?
Back in the early days, the bottles would often be tied to trees near a crossroad or even at a prominent public location in order to capture any spirits which may be traveling.
Why do Africans use blue bottles?
The use of blue bottles is to attract the spirits and once they’re in the bottle, they can’t get out.
Where did bottle trees originate?
There is some controversy surrounding the true origin of the bottle tree, Some historians believe that the practice originated the Congo area of Africa sometime in the 9th century, and others follow it back as far as 1600 B.C. to the ancient Egyptians.
Why do bottles have to be tied to trees?
In early days, bottles would be tied to trees near a prominent public location in order to capture any spirits which may be traveling. Photo courtesy Pag Asa.
What color bottles are used to make a bottle tree?
Use blue or other colored bottles to create your own bottle tree. Barry Winiker / Getty Images
What is the bottle tree connected to?
A number of scholars believe that the bottle tree is connected to the evolution of the witch bottle as protective magic.
How to hang a bottle on a tree?
To hang the bottles on your tree, simple place them on the ends of the branches. In many regions, it doesn’t appear to matter what kind of tree you use, although legend has it that crepe myrtle is preferred.
Why do bottle trees make a sound?
Certain types of trees are associated with bottle tree magic because of their spiritual significance. Some say that when the wind blows, causing a sound to emit from the bottles, it is actually the death moans of evil beings. In some areas, the bottles are hung from the tree with twine, but in most places, they are actually stuck right on ...
What tree is associated with bottle tree magic?
Pagan blogger Springwolf says that certain species of trees, in particular the crepe (or crape) myrtle, are associated with bottle tree magic, because of their spiritual significance.
What color is the bottle on a tree?
Obviously, start by collecting bottles. Although in some places the bottles on the tree are multicolored, traditionally cobalt blue is used. Blue has been, for many years, associated with spirits and ghosts in Southern folk magic.
Where did bottle trees originate?
Felder Rushing, author of Bottle Trees and Other Whimsical Glass Art for the the Garden, says, “For years I subscribed to the common thread of lore that dates the origin of bottle trees to the Congo area of Africa in the 9th Century A.D.
