Bottle garden
Silverlight
Posts: 82
in Plants
Hi folk's
I inherited a very large glass rounded blown glass bottle with a thin neck / opening from my grandmother who was a keen gardener. It's about 2ft diameter and knee high.
I think it's called a carboy?
It's been sitting in the middle of one of my beds and is quite a nice decorative feature, however someone did mention to me that I might be able to grow a bottle garden
Does anyone have any experience or suggestions please?
I'd rather keep the bottle outdoors and I have no plug for the bottle but could make one I'm sure
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I have made them several times in the past , but only for indoors. They are nice for small plants that enjoy a moist atmosphere, such as tiny ferns, creeping fig, peperonia and miniature African violets, and provided the neck of the jar is narrow they do not need to be completely enclosed. I have found it hard for a number of years to find suitable small plants on sale in garden centres, as house plants beyond the few sold in supermarkets are decidedly out of fashion. I guess modern houses are too small and people are too busy, working to pay for them, to have time for such things. I would think they could work well for a miniature arid landscape too, with small cacti and succulents, but would require very careful, minimal watering. Also those airplants, Tillandsia might be a possibility.
I'm not sure how the idea could translate to outdoor use. The most obvious candidates size wise would be alpines, but few of them want a moist atmosphere, and without a lid could risk getting waterlogged. I suppose you could try the types like Lewisias that hate getting wet, (with a bung of course), but they like sun and would cook on a hot day. I feel your bottle would also be vulnerable, if kept outside, to frost or accidental damage, which would be a shame if it reminds you of your grandmother .