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 have a metal thing that I'm going to stick some of my blue bottles into as soon as I figure out how to mount it in the garden. I'm not sure what it is, maybe a heavy duty cupcake stand or some sort of specialty stand. I just realized the other day that it can old bottles. Its too short unless I raise it up somehow. Kathy

THAT IS AWESOME!!!!! If you go to a stained glass store, they will have diamond bits that you buy for about $20 that are 1/4 inch, they fit on your drill(I use my cordless drill) and you keep a sponge soaked with water to keep the drilling wet, if you don't you wear out your bit faster. I have an idea for something similar to this that is percolating in my mind...so yours is VERY inspirational!!! There are cheaper diamond bits to buy out there, but I find that they are a cheaper product, so getting a good bit is worth it. I use mine to drill 1/4inch glass. Maybe a glass shop would be able to get you one also. Also, if you are careful by not pushing too hard...but some glass just doesn't take to being drilled....