The Leaf Thief Accidently Reformed

I just cancelled my plan to launch a new career of somewhat dubious merit. January triggered my need for green but no matter how many pages I turn down in the plant catalogs, it is all hopelessly vicarious. I need REAL leaves, so I planned to steal some from places with too many to miss them.

I am writing this under swaying palms on a balmy evening. The greens are both ubiquitous and beautifully real. And there are leaves of every ilk!

My mother was infamous for stealing cuttings from plants she liked. I suspected this nefarious tendency might be genetic until we arrived in Florida and I fell in love with sea grape leaves. Coccoloba uvifera is a common seashore tree or shrub with nearly-round leaves. 

It is conspicuously absent from cultivated gardens-- leave it to me to love the weed! Sea grape leaves are on the ground just waiting to be collected, so their availability avoids those spousal lectures I get when I lust over some botanical snippet that refuses to fall into my hand. Look for sea grape shapes in future Kahoka pots, maybe with some soft tangles of Spanish moss! I know you’ll love them!