The sign said “burpless cucumbers.” I had not noticed that my previous encounters with cucumbers were particularly burp-inducing, so I asked how this variety was different.  read more »

Besides hostas’ no-fuss disposition—they thrive on neglect—gardeners love the fact that they can curate a collection.  read more »

“Bloody hell, that was a good decision. Damn!” English director Danny Boyle was boasting about casting the magnetic Irishman Cillian Murphy as his leading man.  read more »

Avocado squash were new to me, though, so I thought I’d see how they work on an open flame.  read more »

Katharine White gardened in tweed suits and Ferragamo pumps. Pat Buckley preferred a bikini when deadheading her Connecticut rose garden. But what to wear to garden in a public space, Riverside Park, where I was not only visible but a kind of minor attraction?  read more »

Wheelie Cool: Mary Testa, Tony Roberts and Jackie Hoffman camp out in Xanadu on Broadway.  read more »

It was a perfect day for transplanting. With the soil moist from a few days of rain—thank you mulch for maintaining that ideal condition—I could “fix” some previous planting mistakes without having to drag out the hoses. Any instructions for transplanting include the imperative “water, water, water,” but because of my faucet-challenged conditions in Riverside Park, my plants would have to make do with damp, if not drenched, earth.  read more »

It occurred to me that I’d never seen a book about grilling radishes or carrots, but I forged ahead.  read more »

Mary Wilson, the luscious-lipped founding member of the Supremes, took a moment in the middle of her rendition of Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile” last week at Feinstein’s to perk up the otherwise solemn-looking audience. Shimmying her ample breasts, she quipped, “You guys are so serious!”  read more »

Sand shark? I’d never heard of it, either. But how often do you get to confront your deepest fears and buy dinner at the same time?  read more »