Happy summer, everyone! We spent the solstice hanging out with the peacocks and torch lilies at the LA Arboretum — tour to come. Here in our yard, things are getting interesting in these last days of June Gloom. All three species of our Passiflora in bloom: P....

Is there anything more summer-ific (if that’s a word) than biting into an outrageously juicy peach? Or finding a plum the color of a backlit amethyst? Stone fruits are synonymous with long hot days and jacket-optional nights. Lately we’ve been eating nectarines, peaches and plums by the...