How to Make a Bottle Tree Garden Bed

A large fallen branch with protruding branches can find new purpose as a bottle tree incorporated into a charming garden bed. Just careful trimming of the branch protrusions is necessary for holding the bottles, and the branch itself makes a great trellis for a climbing plant. By surrounding a bottle tree with size-appropriate flowers, you will have a garden bed like no other. Children will be fascinated with the bottle tree garden bed.

6-foot-long fallen branch with protruding branches
Shovel
Rake
Compost
Pruners
20 red wine bottles
Goo-Gone
Clematis starter plant
Sunflower and zinnia seeds

Instructions

- 1
  Dig a 12-inch deep hole with a shovel and bury the branch end, packing the soil around the buried 12 inches of the branch firmly. Turn over the soil around the branch to a depth of 6 inches. Add compost to the soil at a ratio of one part compost to three parts soil and smooth it with a rake.
- 2
  Cut all protruding branches on the dead tree to a length of 12 inches with pruners.
- 3
  Remove the labels from the wine bottles by soaking them in a sink with hot water. Remove the sticky residue by rubbing it with Goo-Gone. Push the wine bottles openings onto the protruding branches.
- 4
  Plant a clematis at the base of the tree, covering the root ball with 3 inches of soil. The clematis will climb the tree and produce large, showy flowers.
- 5
  Sow sunflower and zinnia seeds around the tree in the spring after the last frost date in your plant hardiness zone to fill in the garden bed. Water the plants daily.

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