Donna, Wooden dowels. I would take post hole diggers, dig a hole, take one bag of concrete. Pour the concrete around a 4" x 4" post in the hole you dug. The next day- Take a drill bit the size of the wooden dowel thickness and drill holes for your dowel branches. You can use screws with closed hoop ends (eye screws). Rope, shoe string leather, or wire your bottles to the eye screws on the branches. I also would polyurethan the entire wooden structure before hanging the bottles. I believe the open mouth up was the original way that a bottle tree was meant to be hung. They were meant to ward off evil spirits. The scary sound of the wind over the mouth of a bottle would certainly do that. The different depths of rain in the bottles will make the notes vary and it will become what is called a wind organ. My concern would be that the bottles would become mosquito breeding beds and the bottles may get water stains and other bugs on the inside. (??????) I'm speculating. I have considered this for my own garden, so I've thought about it a lot. Hope something here helps. I cant wait to see your bottle collection!!!!! Susie

That's an old southern tradition and the original form of a bottle tree. In the area of the South where part of my family is from, those are called "spirit trees". Hanging the bottles from the branches of a large tree is supposed to keep the bad spirits from entering the house. Some folks believe that the spirits are attracted by the sparkling colored light, enter the bottle and get trapped. I've never known it to fail. Yes the bottles get filled up and you have do to empty them occasionally but not as often as you might think.

I really like the Collections bottle tree stand because of the shape. But its kind of flimsy and needs small bottles at the top. I think it will be fine "planted" tho. And can't beat the price on it. LOL. I still plan to make a blue bottle BUSH tho. I have some tall, slim bottles that wouldn't go on this tree. And I loved the shape of the ones I used on it. I was so lucky someone donated a bunch of them to GW one time, and it was half off day thank goodness. Plus I was lucky to find 3 little ones with the same shape. I've decided to move my 3 other cobalt totems to that center area and have it the "Cobalt Garden". Also the others are in my gnome garden right now and don't look right with the Teapot Garden going on there. sped, lots of people mistake whippets for greyhounds. They look almost identical except for the size. Whippets are about half as big. Feather is 20" at the shoulders and weighs 25 lbs, normal for a female. Males a little bigger. Here's a shot of how the old lady usually is...LOL

Awwww! And your bottle tree was such a natural. I suppose the branch leaning to the side will provide some character now. It will kind of look like it is reaching for the sun. Glad your family was safe and thank heavens for your niece's phone call!