No kidding -- this post is really about rosemary and thyme!

Over a year ago, I posted a request for help -- I had brought my rosemary plant back from Vermont the previous fall, potted it up, and put it on the sunny windowsill of my Manhattan apartment. Before too long, it had developed a bad case of mildew, and many of you empathized with my problem, telling me that it was impossible to grow rosemary indoors. It met a sad end in the garbage bag.

Well, I tried again last fall, with my last summer's new plant, with very different results! I made sure to keep the leaves dry, watering only the soil and doing it in the sink and letting all the water drain out of the pot before returning it to the windowsill. And the plant thrived all winter, with NO mildew, and I've just brought it back to Vermont to plant in a barrel again.

As for the thyme, I planted creeping thyme about 40 years ago as a decorative plant, but found the leaves delicious in salads. I cut them down drastically each fall, and they come back beautifully every spring.

But every year, in July, the leaves develop tiny white spots, and I stop using them for food. The plants continue to grow and look lovely, as long as you don't look closely. In fact, the new growth on the end of each stem is fine, but soon develops the spots. I've never seen any insects on them and have no idea what's causing the spots or how to prevent them. Any ideas?