The bottle tree tradition rooted itself in the South in the 1700s, arriving from Africa and flourishing in the fertile ground of the Mississippi Delta even today. Placing colorful bottles on the ends of broken limbs is said to keep evil spirits (or maybe just nosy neighbors) away from the home. As the story goes, the sun's glimmer through the glass mesmerizes the spirits and traps them in the bottles. Stephanie Dwyer's handcrafted, sculptural bottle trees represent a rich cultural history and are an artistic evolution of an ancient tradition. Stephanie uses high-quality metal from the Southern U.S. instead of rebar.

Horticulturist and radio show host Felder Rushing holds extensive knowledge about bottle trees, and recently said "Stephanie Dwyer is taking bottle trees to a whole new artistic level. I love it." Learn more about Felder's collection of bottle tree images by visiting his site: