Before planting a bottle garden, remove smears or smudges inside the bottle by spraying the inside with a window cleaning spray. Let it remain inside in for a minute, then wipe it off using a lintless cloth on a bent stick or wire. Do not fill the bottle the same day you have used the cleaning spray, for the fumes might harm sensitive plants.
Make a funnel of aluminum foil, inserting it so that the narrow end is at the bottom of the bottle. Pour an inch of drainage material down the funnel, then a half inch of crushed charcoal. Tap the bottle on a hard surface. Then add spoonfuls of pasteurized soil that is just moist enough to cling together when squeezed lightly in your hand.
Use a long bent stick, wire, slender tongs, or chopsticks to pack the soil firmly against the sides of the bottle. Fill the bottle about on-fourth way with soil. Use the wire or stick to make planting holes. Remove plants from pots, wash the earth from the roots, then drop one into each planting hole. Press dirt firmly around the roots of the plants.
Trailing strawberry begonias and dainty ferns are choice for bottle plantings. Add a miniature African violet or begonia for extra color and for flowers. Find a sunny spot and enjoy your newly planted bottle garden.
