The 'dust' is probably powdery mildew and is more common and is usually worse in areas where there is high humidity and/or little air movement. It's very difficult to eradicate once it has a hold. You generally try to avoid conducive cultural conditions or treat prophylactically with fungicides. Chamomile tea and neem oil are effective as a preventative against PM. Try neem oil applications at 2 week intervals for the aphids. Mix a teaspoon of neem and a few drops of Murphy's Oil Soap in a pint of very hot water in a 1 qt spritz bottle. Shake well & add a pint of rubbing (70% isopropyl) alcohol & spritz the plants, making sure to wet the entire plant, especially leaf crotches & undersides. Shake the bottle frequently as you apply. You want only cold-pressed neem oil because it has the most azadirachtin in it. I use Dyna-Gro's neem oil. Al

Agree - aphids - wash 'em off.

Hi Bobby, How cold does it get in your neck of the woods? I think its alot warmer in zone 8 than zone 5, so I would think your lotus would be fine, even in your little pond. Do you use a birdbath heater to keep it warm? One of my little ponds is only about 18" deep at most, and I've overwintered marginals in there, but I've used a birdbath heater. Lotus put their developing tubers down at the bottom of their containers, so unless your little pond froze solid, I'd think it would be fine there. I've "buried" my lotus in different spots. One year, I tried to put in a bog, and I filled it with peat and very loose soil. It was too shady for bog plants, so that's where I bury a lotus and a lily. I dig it out (which is easy, since the soil is so light.) I put the containers down so that the top of their soil is about 4-6" from ground level, cover them with loose soil and a piece of hardware coth (wire that keeps mice out and makes it a little easier to excavate them in the spring), Then I cover the whole thing with about a foot of leaves. I used to put a tarp over them, but they really do need to stay moist through the winter too, so rain is good for them, plus ventilation. If you have a very dry winter, you need to water them occasionally. One year, I had more lotus than I had space for in that area, so I started digging holes right up next to the house (protected north side). Those containers sometimes ended up being a little above ground. But I cover them heavily with leaves and a plastic tub with a tarp over it. I think the warmth of the house helps them get through a bad winter. I've "buried" marginals and lilies with good luck too. Its a great alternative for those of us who don't have basements/garages/big ponds. I even overwintered a sage plant in a container by burying it! About the ones you grew from seed a few months ago......how big are the containers? I would definitely leave them in their containers. Early spring would be the best time to move them to a bigger container. I'm not sure they'd have much tuber yet. What kind of lotus do you have?

Never heard of aphids being on yarrow.... Any time you see bugs on a plant, the first line of defense is a stream fo water from the hose. About 75% of the time that will solve your problem. And if it doesn't, then try a hand held trigger sprayer with a very little bit of dish soap in some water. If those things don't work then get out the poision. Linda C