I tried this in Garden Junk but didn't get any takers, so I thought I'd try here.

I am late to the garden art game and getting ready to make my first totem. It will be the kind with plates, bowls, vases, etc. (not the kind on a pole). My question is how do you keep them from toppling over in a bad storm or when the squirrels run up and down them?

I guess the squirrels will eventually learn that there is no food there, but there will be a lot of them looking for it in the beginning! I plan on using a heavy, wide base piece but don't think that will be enough.

Here is a pic of the start of a possible design tho I don't have the right colors. The red bowl is very heavy as is the little brown crock. The blue green bowl is the next heaviest piece. I'm looking for a heavy larger/wider bowl or plate to use as the base. I'm aiming for 2 1/2 to 3 ft. of height with the pieces getting smaller as I go up.