My bottle tree is made like yours but is taller. I used rebar for bottle holders. And like you I have just started putting it together. Have been saving donated vodka bottles for several years, And other odd bottles that I found. Now that they have the blue beer bottles, I bought four 12 packs (and I don't drink beer) been giving it to a friend who will drink it. My tree will hold 83 bottles, And the post is painted a medium blue. I need to cut 23 more pieces of rebar before I can finish it.

This is the first time I have posted to this forum, but it has become my favorite. There are no real "rules" to making a bottle tree, which is the beauty of it. Mine is actually a bottle stump ... I've been covering an old pine tree stump with bottles and aim to have them going all the way around, down to the ground. I add them as I get them by hammering large spike nails 6-7" long into the tree at an angle. You can find these nails at Lowe's, but I found better ones cheaper at our little Mom & Pop hardware store. If they have a large head on the end of them, you may need to saw it off. I would attach photos, but my browser is not compatible with image uploading on this site. Bottle trees are wonderful. It's funny how something so simple can give so much pleasure!

found this....hummmm it's close... Spaghetti Sauce Without Meat 30 pounds tomatoes 1 cup chopped onions 5 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup chopped celery or green pepper 1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced (optional) 4 1/2 teaspoons salt 2 Tablespoons oregano 4 Tablespoons minced parsley 2 teaspoons black pepper 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup vegetable oil Yields 9 pints Do not increase the proportion of onions, celery, peppers, or mushrooms. Wash tomatoes and dip in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds or until skins split. Dip in cold water and slip off skins. Remove cores and quarter tomatoes. Boil 20 minutes, uncovered, in large saucepan. Put through food mill or sieve. If desired, saute onions, garlic, celery, pepper, and mushrooms in vegetable oil until tender. Combine sauteed vegetables and tomatoes and add remainder of spices, salt, and sugar. Bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, until thick enough for serving. At this time, the initial volume will have been reduced by nearly one-half. Stir frequently to avoid burning. Fill jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process jars as described in Table 1. this is a pressure can method... got it from here: http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5337.html I have canned on and off through the years...and alto this is not quite my sauce it's closer than what I have come across...its the Ohio state University page...so I am gonna give this one a try...Thanks guys for your input...I am sure I will have many more questions as APPLE season gets here...*thinks about apples and canning....and starts day dreaming* ;)

David, I'll second your comment. My wife and I recently found a new internet store front by a seller I was not familiar with. Being that I spend a lot of time online dealing with maples, I am always happy and surprised to find something new. To my surprise, I found that they had a couple of locally named varieties as well as three very rare plants that I have not seen offered elsewhere. At $40 to $50 for what they called a one gallon, I figured I better ask a question or two. One plant they offered has not been for sale on line in at least 4 years and very few people have it. I respectfully asked a couple questions about their business and where and how they came by that plant. Since they pirate most of their photos from other internet site, I asked if they might have a photo of their own plants. I used the link they provided on their site and as you would guess, never a word! We all know what one gallon on the interent equals: VERY SMALL PLANT. Anyone with the guts to ask $50 for one better be willing to answer an email. These sellers also need to realize that if the want to pirate and steal all of their photos from books and other internet sites (they even stole a photo from another online forum gallery) then they better be prepared to answer a few questions and maybe provide a photo or two. Do they think I will drop $300 bucks on my first order when they won't even answer an email--yeah, just click the "add to cart" button and hope for the best--NO WAY--I have been burned enought times with good and bad sellers. Customer service is even more important on the net. Sellers can't screw with shipping practices and plants sizes and expect repeat business. If I get a nice full one gallon one time and and a 3 bud twig the next--that is a problem and I won't be back. To say a plant is 6 to 12" means nothing. One is a twig and the other is branched. One is a fresh graft and the other is almost a season old. Yet they are all in the height range. Don't ship me something a person wouldn't buy in person! Enough! These sellers are burning themselves and they don't even realize it. It will be these rants that become the same rants with their names in big print! Even many of the $9.95 ebay acutions are going without bids, where a year ago they were all bidding wars. Is anyone listening??? MJH