Hey there, I'm Jerry Dean Swanson, a Master Gardener from Princeton, WI. I love gardening and I have also loved creating art out of steel. That's why I started making my own versions of the Bottle Tree, a traditional folk art that adds some color and whimsy to any garden.

So...2026 marks 25 years of creating my Bottle Trees—and I still love what I do.
But… I turned 75 last December, and I’m finding there just aren’t enough hours in the day for everything on my refrigerator list.  Not to mention my hobbies: gardening, astronomy, genealogy, bird watching, metal detecting, and model building.
My sweet Lori, Sophie (the cat), and my body are all telling me it’s time to slow down a bit.  So, 2026 will be my final year creating new trees.
Through this year I will continue offering my trees online and from my gardens (if you’d like to visit).
It's been a good run—but things will be gently winding down.
My Secret Garden is calling.