Dig, plant, water. If only it were that simple. It’s actually the passion for this art and the accoutrements involved that make it flourish.
The color palette of my passion lives in my garden. There’s nothing like running your fingers through the earth—you know, getting those nails almost irreparably dirty.
Born and raised in Texas—with seven hells of heat from June to October—I had to hone my craft. Admittedly, many a plant succumbed to my not-so-green thumb in those early endeavors.
But, along with any horticultural niche you find yourself in, you end up speaking and feeding into the lore of the land (so to speak). I mean, you can’t have a successful garden without those faithful little gnomes lurking throughout.
In my former life, I was an English professor. Before moving on to my current job as an editor or—as I like to refer to it—an architect, I spent some time studying in Faulkner’s southern fried Yoknapatawpha, the Mississippi Delta, and the rural ambiance of it all.
Which is where I found my love of the bottle tree and its illustrious lore. Maybe you’ve seen these beauties—colorful, unique—no two are alike.
As the lore goes, you hang bottles in trees—blue ones are best—so when evil spirits approach your house with devilish intentions, they’re lured into these glistening enclosures, become trapped inside, only to be extinguished by the morning sunlight. Problem solved.
As blue is commonly associated with ghosts, spirits, and the like (haint blue, to be exact), having your tree filled with blue bottles ensures a good catch.
This particular color blue is used on doors, porch floors, and porch ceilings for that exact reason. Spirits, particularly bad ones, love blue. And, yes, my front door and back porch are painted that exact color, along with bottle trees on both ends . . . so, I’m covered. Thank you for your concern.
However, you see bottle trees adorning yards throughout the South, often in a lovely array of colors. (Just make sure one of those bottles is blue, mind you.)
How about some cool-season inspiration? Well . . . winter gardens exist, even in Texas. Broccoli, beets, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, carrots. Surly snapdragons, delicate dianthus, and poised, petite pansies.
Don’t forget to plant those tulips, daffodils, and spider lilies for a lovely spring surprise.
But, always lurking in and about every-season’s garden—the bottle tree. Keeping us safe. Providing that shiny glass sparkle with a colorful twist.
So, we come full circle. The color of my passion? Rosemary, lavender, basil, mint, lemon balm, lilies, sunflowers—in all of its flavors, sizes, and mountainous multitudes.
Sun-baby succulents. Prickly pear. The subtle stream of purple hearts. Pretty peppers ready to be pickled—green, red, purple, orange.
And yes, that colorful tree of glistening glass.
The color of my passion changes with the seasons, but it always begins and ends with a dive into the rich savory soil; luscious, colorful, bewitching smells; curious gnomes; and a bottle tree to keep it all sage . . . I mean safe.
Cover image via Kerdkanno.
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