Say the word “frangipani” to me and I think of a delicious almond pastry cream used in Italian tarts, cake and other delicacies. If you eat French pastries, you will know the same custard as “frangipane”. Either way, it is delicious and harbors the sweet smell of almonds. Tropical plant fanciers know frangipani as a … Read more
When I made my first forays into wild plant identification as a child and teenager, a handy field guide always lurked somewhere nearby. My trusty and well-used Peterson’s Guide—actually Peterson Field Guides: Wildflowers—still sits on my office shelf. Some of the plants have been reclassified and renamed since it was published, but its arrangement, descriptions … Read more
Every day in New York and Los Angeles, any number of aspiring actors toil in obscurity, awaiting the moment when they will be “discovered” by someone who can launch their stage and screen careers. Once upon a time, a flashy horticultural performer with the ungainly name of Eschscholzia californica, had a story much like that. … Read more
My husband, David, never failed to give me a card and a bouquet of roses on Valentine’s Day. When we were starting out in the suburbs, those roses were more likely to come from the vendor at Penn Station than the local florist. The thought was just as lovely, but sometimes those end-of-the-day roses were … Read more
After seeing five deer grazing contentedly on my front lawn, I started doing some serious thinking about onions. I had some nice big ones in the crisper drawer and the temptation to distract the deer by hurling those hefty vegetables was strong. Fortunately the deer heard a noise and cleared off on their own. My … Read more
