By Barbara Brown

Gardening Grandma says, “Add a bottle tree to your garden to protect your home from bad luck!” Truth or myth?

I think we can all agree that this is a myth. However, it is a myth with a very long and colorful history. The practice originated in African cultures where bottle trees were believed to attract and capture evil spirits at night. This tradition was brought to the Americas by enslaved Africans in the 1700s. Blue bottles were considered the most effective at warding off bad spirits. Although blue wine bottles may be used, in the past, milk of magnesia bottles were often saved for this purpose.

“Folklore and written sources from as early as 1776 indicate that this centuries-old custom originated in the kingdom of Kongo on the West African coast, where vessels were

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