Every gardener dreams of making his garden well-groomed and beautiful. But it is much easier to cope with the task of gardening than with its decoration, because garden decor is expensive and looks not always appropriate. Yes, and why waste if the material for the original crafts is right at your fingertips. In this article we will explain how to make a real masterpiece from a plastic bottle and what you need to make A truly exotic decoration for the garden is the palm tree.
Crafts to give, what you need to create a palm tree
A plastic bottle is a practical and multifunctional item with which you can turn your garden into a “museum of decor”. The one who says that it is “garbage and bad taste” simply did not see really good handicrafts for the garden. Handmade is not only fashionable, but also in demand, because what you do with your own hands is valued many times higher than factory-made things.
In fact, inexpensive and affordable materials for country crafts a lot. But among them, plastic bottles lead on such criteria as practicality, durability and simplicity.
Decorative elements for the garden, made of plastic bottles, not only attract admiring glances with their non-triviality, but also have an unlimited shelf life - they are not afraid of either snow or heat.
Did you know? Plastic packaging withstands a temperature range from -40 ° C to + 200 ° C.
In addition, plastic bottles, like plasticine in the hands of the sculptor, are supple, elastic, and allow you to do almost everything with you.
In order to make a palm tree for giving from bottles, you will need: 
- plastic bottles of several colors;
- sharp knife (stationery or construction) and scissors;
- adhesive tape and / or construction glue;
- the base of the barrel (metal pin or hollow plastic tube);
- strong rope;
- wire.
Instructions for making leaves
At first glance it may seem that making a tree out of plastic bottles with your own hands is very difficult. But if you act in stages, it turns out that this is not only easy, but also very exciting.
The first step is to start making the crown of a palm tree. Take a plastic bottle and cut the bottom part, approximately 1/3 the length of the bottle. The bottom is no longer useful, and the part with the neck will become a blank for foliage. Palm leaves can be of two types: fluffy and tulip. In the first case, using a clerical knife or scissors, we make longitudinal cuts towards the neck, without cutting 3-4 cm to it. The width of the strips can be arbitrary, but the crown of small leaves looks the most effective.
The second variant of the leaves is done in the following way: the blank is cut into four equal parts (cuts towards the neck of the bottle); we bent each of the parts and with the help of scissors we give the shape of a needle, figured sheet.
How to make a palm tree of bottles, the first or second method -decide for yourself, this is a matter of taste. Finished leaves will need to be collected in the branch. To do this, take a rope or cable and alternately string all the blanks in one direction so that the neck enters the cavity of the previous bottle. On one branch of the palm will take about 5-7 finished blanks. On the neck of the first "sheet" be sure to tighten the cork - this is necessary for fixing the rope. Do not forget to leave a long edge, then to collect all the branches together.
Important! If you have a child, and the palm tree will be within its reach, then the edges of the slices of plastic bottles should be melted down so that the baby does not hurt itself.
How to create a trunk for a palm tree
We proceed to the next step in the manufacture of palm trees from plastic bottles - trunk assembly.
The palm trunk can also be done in several ways, and here are some of the best ones:
- Take a plastic bottle with a volume of 1.5-2 liters and cut the bottom. We perform the same procedure with all the bottles prepared for the trunk of a palm tree. We insert the metal pin into the place where the palm tree will now "grow" and fix it securely.
Next is the matter of technology: we firmly press the plastic parts of the future tree trunk on the pin with the neck up. And so to the very top of the trunk. If you want to make a more curly trunk for your palm, you will have to work a little. First, you will need bottles with the same shaped bottom. Secondly, prepare as many bottles as possible - they will leave a lot.Take a bottle, scissors and cut the bottom so that all its “bulging” parts are left on the blank. The cut edge will resemble a flower bud. Then make longitudinal cuts in the direction of the neck length of 2/3 bottle. After that, divide the flower into petals, slightly bending them at the edge of the cut. The first billet is ready;
When all the bottles are ready, collect the palm tree pillar, stringing each element on a fixed metal rod. In contrast to the previous method, in this case, the billet barrel sits down the neck.
- But this is not all the ways how to make a palm tree from plastic bottles! For the next option, we will not need a metal bar, and that part of the bottles that used to be used for scrap - bottoms will come in handy as a decor.
The base for the trunk will be a flat log, cleared of bark. Throughout its length, fasten the bottoms of the bottles with screws, the figured side out. As a result, you have a beautiful trunk of a future decorative palm tree ready.
Next is the matter of technology: we firmly press the plastic parts of the future tree trunk on the pin with the neck up. And so to the very top of the trunk. If you want to make a more curly trunk for your palm, you will have to work a little. First, you will need bottles with the same shaped bottom. Secondly, prepare as many bottles as possible - they will leave a lot.
Did you know? One of the palm-record holders is an ornamental tree whose trunk reaches 4.5 m in height.
The connection of the trunk and crown of an evergreen tree
The final stage of assembling your crafts will be the connection of the finished parts: the branches and the trunk. This is a very important and crucial part, because the stability of the whole structure depends on how correctly everything will be done. We will tell you how to make wood from plastic bottles safe and secure.
Here the rest of the inventory comes to the rescue: scotch tape, construction glue and wire.
To begin with, we will bundle up the left edges of the rope, on which the leaves are strung, and roll them up with scotch tape. If you need additional fixation, we tie the branches of the leaves with wire, wrapping it around the base of the neck. The resulting bundle is connected to the tree trunk with glue (or construction foam). If necessary, in the place of connection we make several more hanks of scotch tape.
If your palm has a wooden base, the branches can be fixed with screws or a construction stapler. Your palm is ready. It remains only to invite loved ones and celebrate this event!
Important! Plastic decomposes over a hundred years, and its disposal is an expensive process and, alas, in our country it has not yet been established. Each bottle, which was not among the garbage, but found its practical application, will be a significant contribution to the ecology of the city.
This is just one of thousands of garden tools that you can do with your own tools from improvised means. Note that by doing so you kill two birds with one stone - make your site more beautiful and take care of the health of the planet.
