Yard Art

Snow and Bottle Tree Photo:  Barbara Porsch

By Barbara Porsch, Permian Basin Master Gardener

What comes to your mind when you hear the term “yard art”?   I love yard art because it usually fills a void in my landscaping or garden.  Welcome to my yard.

My favorite decoration in my yard is my first bottle tree.  It is a tall cedar post with long screws holding the bottles.  A friend helped me with it, and we planted it in the middle of what was then my vegetable garden.  I have had neighbors drive down the alley and say they know where I live because of the bottle tree. Obviously, I took the photo on a cold, snowy day.

I also have a smaller one in my patio area with all blue bottles that I bought at a moving sale, complete with the bottles.  Big score!

At another moving sale, I came across a couple of stained-glass panels that found their way to my patio fence.  A bright flash of color is a great accent in the landscape. Now if I could just keep the squirrels from chewing on the lead frames.

I found some tall blue ceramic pots to put in strategic spots in my yard. They have a bright accent even in the winter.  But I filled them partially with crushed aluminum cans, and then, in summer, I set a pot in them with something like foxtail or Kimberly Queen fern. Shazam!! Spectacular.

Years ago, the Master Gardeners had workshops making birdbaths or feeders out of cement and BIG plant leaves.  This was a fun project with good results.  My favorite was made using a ginormous leaf from my gourd vine, the year I grew giant gourds. Another year, the Master Gardeners made stepping stones using leaves from our gardens. These were fun projects, and I am sure there are lots of instructions online if you want to try them.

Another unique touch to your beds is to line them with upturned wine bottles. Put out a call to all your friends, and you will have enough quickly.  Just dig a small trench, stand the bottles upside down, then refill the soil.  You can use all the same size or mix up regular and larger bottles for interest.

It may be a collection of watering cans, a Talavera frog on the garden fence, or a bright blue bird bath, but any accent is a delight to behold. So don’t hesitate to add a few decorations to your landscape.

If you have any gardening questions, call the AgriLife office in Odessa at 498-4071 or in Midland at 686-4700.  Additional information and our blog, with access to past articles, are available at westtexasgardening.org.  Click on resources.