How to Hang Plants in Glass Bottles

Houseplants are beautiful and fun to raise. Many a small place has been brightened by a container garden with hanging plants. The typical hanging planter is simply a suspended clay or ceramic pot, but many wonderful and pretty hanging plant containers can be made by the creative recycling of unusual glass bottles. Using glass bottles as hanging containers does require a few extra considerations to make sure your plants live and thrive. Here are few pointers.

Glass bottles

Macrame or mesh plant hangers

Drainage materials like river rocks

Potting soil

Plants

For plant containers, choose glass bottles that are clear or lightly tinted, with mouths wide enough to manipulate the plants inside. Canning jars, milk bottles, and even chemical flasks work well. Clean the containers, then sterilize them by boiling in water for 10 minutes.

Like any plant container, glass bottles can be suspended using any of the hanging methods normally used for hanging plants. Typically, a metal bracket is attached to the wall or an eyelet to the ceiling and the container is suspended in a mesh or macrame plant hanger. These are available at most gardening outlets. Suspend the bottle in an area that is bright but out of direct sun to prevent plants from overheating and wilting.

Arrange drainage materials in the base of the containers - this will allow water to drain away from plant roots to prevent root rot. Use something pretty or unusual since it will be visible through the glass. River rocks, marbles, or even crumbled windshield glass are all creative choices. Next, lay down a layer of commercial potting soil suitable for the plants you intend for the container.

terrarium hanger

Choose the plant for your hanging glass bottle container. If the mouth is wide, as with a canning jar, consider weeping plants like Maiden's Blush Fuchsia or Spring Heath that will cascade down over the bottle lip. Orchids can be grown with little care in suspended bottles. Use coconut husks or sphagnum as the planting medium and keep moist. Desert plants are another possibility. They can be planted in regular planting soil and landscaped with small rocks or ornaments. Desert plants in a closed terrarium can grow for months without water.

Use a turkey baster to blow fresh air into your hanging glass bottle containers periodically. Don't put too many plants in the bottles and leave room for the plants to grow.

Water plants regularly according to type but do not over water. Direct sunlight can quickly dry out and kill plants so be careful of your placement.