The vibrant foliage of the summer months has cleared away, leaving brittle skeletons. We horticulturists prepare our gardens for the afterlife — ushering leaves into designated areas, clearing certain plants of last year’s growth – in a yearly practice that is part pragmatic, part ritual. Similarly, ancient cultures carried out their own practices to prepare human and animal souls for the afterlife. As the garden dies back and our thoughts turn spooky, let’s put some horticultural context into the practice of mummification.