First off, my apologizes to writer E.L. James for riffing on his popular novel title “50 Shades of Grey”. I rather doubt that my comments here will ever make it to the big screen. Just the same, the month of December in my garden is a pretty steamy mix of tan, brown, or black (and all the shades in between) emanating from foliage, seed heads, and bark, and frankly, I find it pretty stimulating…


This magical month of October is coming to a close, accompanied everywhere by the colors of autumn. I thought it might be fun to talk Halloween this week, and more specifically botanical treasures that make me think of this fun and festive holiday…