Thanks grumpy, I think the oil was added to this recipe for insects...like scale and such. Sometimes I add it and sometimes I don't. I can't tell a difference either way. I do use ivory liquid dish detergent (not the bar soap). Someone told me that Dawn dish liquid was too strong and would kill my plants. So I bought the Ivory. But now I've read other people who say they only use Dawn. So I'm not sure which is best. I've been spraying and nothing seems to be getting worse. I didn't have this problem last year. And this year we are in the middle of a drought. I can't remember the last time we had rain...months and months ago. I don't know if there's any correlation? Keeping my fingers crossed, here. I may get blooms despite it all!

Just keep them coming !!!--I live here in the northeast and it is wonderful to come to the Forum and see roses in bloom-- I have to wait another month. We all understand your love of roses. I too am obsessed. Florence

Hi nosoccermom, The very first picture I posted shows the colours most true. The lowers are called midnight blue, they are a dark blue, but definitely blue. Part of the problem is with all the stuff in the middle of the kitchen it is hard to get good pictures. Hopefully the ones I take at the end of the day show the colours more clearly!

Yes, that recipe for German apple pancakes is very similar to what I use. Here the one from Röckenwagner (now called Four Square) restaurant in Venice, CA: Pancake Batter 7 large eggs 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1-1/2 tsp baking powder Apples 2 tbsp unsalted butter 3 Golden Delicious apples, peeled if desired, cored and cut into 1/2” wedges 1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1-1/2 tbsp granulated sugar 1 tbsp confectioners’ sugar 1/4 cup crème fraîche 1 cup strawberries, for garnish Batter In a blender or food processor, combine the eggs, vanilla, and sugar and blend for about 15 seconds, or until combined. Add the flour and baking powder and mix for 60 seconds more, or until very smooth. Apples Preheat the broiler to medium-high heat. Heat a 12” nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the butter. Add the apples and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the cinnamon and sugar, sprinkling them evenly over the apples, and stir for 2 minutes, or until the apples are glazed and slightly translucent at the edges. Assembly Distribute the apples evenly in the skillet and pour the batter over them. (You may also make four individual pancakes, using a smaller pan. Just use one-fourth of the apples and one-fourth of the batter for each.) Cook until the bottom seems quite firm, about 8 minutes. Transfer the pan to the broiler and, while watching carefully, cook until the pancake is firm throughout and golden on top. Cut the pancake into 4 wedges and transfer them, apple side up, to serving plates. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar, place a dollop of the crème fraîche on top, and garnish with the strawberries. Yield: 4 servings Author’s note: We’ve had these apple pancakes at Röckenwagner since we opened, and I think they are fantastic, especially for lunch. One of the things my mom cooked well was apple pancakes. She used to slice the apples into discs so that they had a little hole in the center where the core was. Then she just dipped them in the batter and pan fried them. That’s a little different than the way I like to do it now (mine is more like an upside-down apple pancake), but I have wonderful memories of her apple pancakes.