What Do Glass Bottles On A Tree Mean?

Traveling through the American South, you may have seen bottle trees. They’re easy to spot in many neighborhoods. You will see dark blue glass bottles placed over the ends of tree branches. These are more than decorative yard art. Bottle trees have a long history, traced by some historians back to the African kingdom of Kongo. When people from Kongo were enslaved and brought to the Americas, the tradition came with them. The Creole and Gullah Geechee people adapted it into the art of today, in which colorful glass bottles are placed on real tree branches or tree-shaped metal statues. The belief is that spirits would be attracted to the bottles, becoming trapped in them rather than continuing into the home.

Some people still craft bottle trees for this purpose, while others see them as more representative, serving as a general symbol of protection and good luck. There are also people for whom making bottle trees is an act of remembrance and of honoring their heritage. Of course, some people have also just fallen in love with the aesthetic and mimic it without fully understanding the tradition. That’s why, if you’re looking into how to build a bottle tree, you should keep in mind the cultures and meanings behind the art form.

While you may see bottle trees bedecked in glass bottles of various colors and shades, deep blue is one of the most commonly used colors. This hints at the same reasons why Southern porch ceilings are blue and why they serve as symbols of protection. Blue is generally associated with protection, frequently appearing in numerous traditions around the world. In many African cultures, there are spiritual and cultural ties to the color blue. It is tied to divinity and used in religious artwork and ceremonies, with its roots largely in the importance of indigo as a dye-making plant.

Beyond the color itself, you’re also likely to see a specific type of bottle, particularly on older trees. While it’s not unusual to see wine bottles or other types of glass bottles on trees, the traditional bottle of choice is a cobalt blue milk of magnesia bottle. These bottles were produced for decades, and vintage ones are still easy to find secondhand. They can be found online for anywhere from $1 to $35, but you can also look for vintage and antique containers, like bottles, at thrift stores.