Blue Bottle Trees

WHAT IS A BLUE BOTTLE TREE?

Though at first glance, these blue bottle trees may seem like a DIY craft — their heritage goes so much deeper than that!

Blue bottle trees hold a deep and important significance with many descendants of the African culture. When first arriving here, Africans would place blue bottles (often Milk of Magnesia bottles due to their blue hue) on a dead tree branch. They served an important purpose of warding off evil spirits by the time the sun rose. They kept them close to their homes in their gardens.

This structure, which began in the Congo during the ninth century, served as a protector for the majority of the African people. Their hope was that by the time sun rose in the morning, the evil spirits would find themselves trapped or stuck in the bottles. The bottles are placed on a piece of upright branch and stuck into the ground. If you look around in the lowcountry areas, you have probably seen these branches in front of homes, you just may not have known what their significance was.

Making them is not a hard task, and they may help to offer you peace and comfort against any unwanted negative energy!

HERE’S HOW TO MAKE ONE AND ADD TO YOUR GARDEN OR FRONT YARD

To start, dig a deep enough hole where you want your branch to sit. Make sure its both wide enough and deep enough for it to comfortably rest, and compact it down once your branch is firmly placed.

Next, find a branch that has lots of limbs, and is well suited for putting a weighted glass bottle on. If your land doesn’t allow for such a branch, you may need to go an alternative route and make one from a metal post, a wooden beam with drilled in pegs, or a bottle tree frame which you may be able to find on eBay.

After that, stick your branch or post of choice into your hole. It should sit firm so it doest topple over from wind or other elements. If you’re going the metal pole or alternate route, you may add concrete if you wish.

Finally, place your blue bottles evenly down the sides of the base. You want to make sure your branches meet down the bottom of the bottle so they don’t fall off. You can reinforce shorter ones with some wood glue, or shave off access from longer ones.

That’s it! your bottle tree should be upright in the front yard or garden, and you can sleep a little bit easier knowing it can help ward off bad spirits.