Turning (wine & liqueur) Bottles into Mini Gardens

I love to garden. I wouldn’t say that I’m a pro, but do really enjoy it. If I had to guess the shade of my green thumb, I’d say it’s somewhere in the ballpark of Jade and Sea Green.

So after I made my pallet garden, of course winter came and all of the flowers eventually died. I wanted to remake it and use something hardy that required little maintenance and could withstand the seasons and most temperatures. In comes succulents. They are great, hardy, and very easy to maintain. So I used them in my remake of my pallet garden. The other great thing about succulents is that you can pluck them and they regrow into a new plant; and from this a new idea sparked.

After throwing away a couple of wine bottles one night (well not in the trash but in the recycle bin) I thought to myself that there has to be something I can do with these. Sure I’ve seen all sorts of ideas on Pinterest, like lamps, votive holders, and even melted down into cheese boards, but I don’t have the tools to make any of those things. I wanted to create something that connected to me and my love for plants, that could also be easy enough for anyone else to make who has beginner crafting or gardening skills.

So the first thing I do is add some dirt in the bottles. This part is a little tedious as you’re going to have to get it in there little by little. On that I added some moss, and then on that I added some pea sized river rock. Some of them I just left the dirt itself on top, but after doing this a few times I’ve learned that if you don’t want the top of dirt to get mold spots on it then you really need to have the gravel on top.

Next you take your tiny little succulent buds, and be sure to grab a few varieties, and send them down the neck of the bottle. Tap and shake the bottle gently so that they spread around.
Succulents don’t need a lot of water, so don’t put too much in the bottle. Good rule of thumb is to only start with 2 – 3 tablespoons, and give it about 1 tablespoon a week. If you think things are starting to look a little too dry, increase 1 tablespoon at a time.

You can do this in just about anything! As you can see I have made a little succulent garden out of a Jack Daniels bottle, a light bulb, and even a little glass salt shaker. I’d love to show you my original wine bottle succulent garden, but sadly I left it out on my patio and our last storm that past through was quite a windy one and it feel off the ledge and broke. (I almost cried)

Wine bottles are also great for water plants. If you’re not sure where to get one, the easiest place to find one is probably your local pet fish store. The roots will spread downward and eventually fill the bottle. It’s simple, yet beautiful. I remember my grandmother having one years ago and it also sat on her kitchen table. This one that I have showing here is a tribute to her.

Whether it’s a wine bottle, a liqueur bottle, an upcycled Starbucks frapp bottle, or an old light bulb use it as a fun and creative way to display your indoor plants or succulent gardens!