Love houseplants but don’t have a green thumb? Check out the simplest most beautiful new floral trend. We’ve been experimenting with this for a few years now, rooting common houseplants in reused wine bottles filled with water. At the time it was an easy way to add greenery to the farmhouse with no maintenance. We also didn’t have much of a green thumb but we’re learning fast!
Just clip a certain plant at the base of a leaf and place it in a glass vase filled with fresh water (bottled or filtered works best) – then watch the roots grow. It’s the easiest houseplant you’ll ever have, just keep the container filled with water. Depending on your vase be careful with direct sunlight. Wine bottles are great for windows with lots of light because the tinted glass will protect the roots from getting too much sun. If you use a clear vase keep the plant out of direct sunlight. These plants are great for getting creative with unique vases and bottles in various sizes. Swapping out plants is also a breeze!
Keep in mind not all plants will respond to this rooting method, but there are tons of options to experiment with. Try Herbs like mint, oregano, basil, rosemary, lavender, and sage, they’ll root and grow fast in water. Some houseplants that also work well are Philodendron, English Ivy, Wandering Jew, Pothos, and Coleus. We even tried clippings from an Umbrella tree (a common office plant) with massive root growth in their vases! Next we’ll experiment with rooting certain tree branches such as a Maple or Fig tree. Let us know if you’ve tried this before and if you have other plant recommendations. Happy rooting!
I love this so much! And I am that girl that has a brown thumb! So doing this!!
Hi Stephanie… No worries we sometimes have a brown thumb too! But we’ve learned a lot so far and I live by “trial and error” also reading a bunch too 😉
It’s such a great way to add greenery with no maintenance. Use cool vases or bottles and you give it a more modern twist! Sending love from the farmhouse! xox Shawn/Kris
I used to have a brown thumb too. I killed so many plants over the years, now I have around 40 plants in my flat and they’re all doing great. It’s important to know what plants you have and read up on how to take care of them.
i have tried rooting a fig and maple. i even tried rooting an olive tree branch. nothing came of either. please try your luck at it and post back. it’s all no brainer but maybe i did something wrong. :(. i live in chicago and i don’t think i have seen the sun but maybe for a second this winter. so i do this every year about this time to add a little green spring in my house.
your plant table looks so full, pretty and a beautiful green.
Hi Stacia! Thanks so much for the advice. I’m still doing some research on the tree branches but will definitely post some results. I believe you need to clip them at the right time for them to actually start to root… You’re right, this is the perfect time of year to ry this. So gloomy here in upstate NY but this greenery cheers us up. Thanks for the love and sending you some love from the farmhouse! xox Shawn & Kris
Lovely! Sharing on our garden page!
Thanks so much Alehia! And happy sharing! xoxo Shawn & Kris
Love these!… I recycle old bottles for mine as well, love some of the pretty redwine vinear bottles for rooting plants in… so much fun and love getting “free” plants from the cuttings too… I also propagated a beautiful 100 year old climbing rose, took a little cutting a number of years ago from my “secret spot”, an old abandoned little grocery store my parents took me to as a child… and “rooted” it in my garden under an old fruit jar for a “greenhouse”… it has hundreds of blooms on it every summer in my garden now!… have you tried that too?… that’s how my mama started every single rose we ever had in our gardens and she had the most stunning roses of all… much love, enjoy your beautiful plants!… xoxo…
Hi Julie! Thanks for the lovely comment. Rooting is so much fun and I love putting the plants in unique vases or bottles for a more modern look. We’re still learning gardening but a rose garden is definitely on the list this year. We’ve done a great vegetable garden but time to focus on the farmhouse landscaping. I’m sure we’ll have questions for you during the process… Happy Friday and stay warm and cozy this weekend! xox Shawn & Kris
love the repurposing of bottles for vases. usually i pick up the old cut glass from thrift stores but also shop at the grocery store for products that come in interesting bottles. the new kombuchas usually have good bottles. i also noted your mesh overlay on the bottle – is that something you made of repurposed? i’ve had luck with jade plant clippings that will grow roots over time, then transplanted to a pot. beautiful site!!! thanks for the inspiration ?
Hi Franca! Thanks or the lovely message and so glad you liked this post. Those bottles with the metal mesh we found at a flea market, it’s chicken wire and I wish we could find some more. Have a great weekend and thanks for the love! Shawn & Kris xoxo
I have pulled up the small volunteer trees such as maples that have appeared in my garden, while branches may not root, the volunteer with roots and all does fine water. I like this no cost way to add something green and natural around my house.
Just found you guys through the story about Rocco on Houzz.com. Love your place… I grew up on a farm and built my version of a Western farmhouse in a little mountain community in Arizona. Always searching for inspiration. I found some in this post (as well as your others). Love the chicken wire on the bottles. I have some chicken wire and I’m sure I can wrap some bottles I have. P.S. Tell Rocco I’m in love with him!
Hi Rochelle! Thanks for the message and so glad you found us! We love these bottle plants and have them all around the house. They cheer us up in the gloomy winter months. Keep in touch and so glad you were inspired by us. Happy Thursday… Shawn & Kris xoxo
Good environmentalism equals good business.
How do I root a basil plant in a wine bottle?
I have some very beautiful bottle and as our state has discontinued glass recycling I hate to throw them in trash.
Hi Manisha,
You can pretty much root almost all herbs in bottles with water. For basil, just take a few clippings and put in water. You will see roots develop in about two weeks.
Change the water every 4 days. We hope this helps! Shawn xox
This is fantastic! Do you move them to soil after they root or can you leave them in the bottle?
Hi Amit,
You could move them to soil but we have a few that have been growing in water for several years.
Cheers!
Shawn
This is a great idea and it’s really cost effective !! Though I was wondering if I needed to add nutrients to the water?
Hi Lilly, we never add nutrients to the water.
I love this idea. I will root basil and rosemary, but I wondered if I could root baby tears in a bottle. I have never done this before so that it will take trial and error.
Do you know a particular kind of baby tears that would work best? I am trying to create a trialing effect where the plant cascades down the bottle of the chemical stand.
Thank you, everyone, for all the commitments. It’s been fun reading them.