dinah You are very welcome. I once affected the foliage of Phlox p. 'David' by spraying on too hot a day, perhaps 28 C - 84 F. The foliage was mature and looked so poorly that I could have cut it down but wanted to experiment . It looked worse after spraying with baking soda/water so I cut it the next day. Unlike you, it is very humid here in summer. Perhaps a half strength solution for more tender growth. Spray at 2 week intervals. Your remedy was working for you so I would suggest sticking to it! We all find what works best for us. I always start with the lowest treatment, that way you can have wiggle room. You have received great advice about airflow, thinning stems (for Phlox) and hygiene. That you treated the surrounding soil and did a great clean up bodes well for their health this year. The only thing I would add is that we should water the soil around plants that are susceptible to PM. If we water the foliage that can worsen the problem by spreading spores. If you continue to have issues with C. 'Baby Sun' then Blanket Flower is a great alternative. Jo, That would be a yes/no answer. lol! Horticulture can be such an inexact science. There are absolutes and there are areas that are fluid as we learn. Everything from reclassification of plants to pruning methods. The no side would be if you provide decent growing conditions, proper hygiene and watering PM does not have to be a reoccurring issue. If we have an issue and do nothing to improve the growing conditions and cultural practices then yes, we could have ongoing problems year after year. A plant that suffers from PM is then weakened and prone to other issues such as aphids. I had this happen with Heliopsis 'Summer Sun'. It was a wonderful carefree plant for so many years and it is a pity but I will dig out the weakened offenders and leave the unaffected ones. The general belief is that the cause of PM is twofold. The air is humid and the soil is dry. This makes perfect sense to me. PM usually starts here early July when the humidity rises, couple that with less rain and nature creates the scenario. If we supplement watering at this time we can minimize the stress. The monkey wrench is that PM is air born. The best we can do is keep our plants healthy and choose resistant varieties when offered. Nasty voles. I really like C. 'Moonbeam' and Zagreb'

1) NB is winter hardy in Zone 6 so in theory, you do not need to protect it as long as you maintain 3-4" of mulch and water every two weeks or so during dry winters while the ground does not freeze. But if you live near Zone 5, there may be some times when a really cold winter could affect bloomage; winter protection would ensure that the really cold winter does not affect the flower buds. 2) When hydrangeas develop a fungal disease, it would be wise to spray according to the label instructions this year and next at the least. Some spores will likely escape because they are residing on stems, rocks, the mulch or other plants. The spores can remain alive for years so drench the shrubs well (top and bottom of leaves). Dispose of plant debris in the trash and make sure the environment is not conducive to re-development of rust. When the plants go dormant in the fall, dispose the leaves and blooms in the trash. 3) Hard to tell but it is possible since we cannot "see" if spores reside in the cuttings before you cut them. 4) Milk can be useful against powdery mildew infestations but I have not heard of it used against rust. A 1 part (or two parts) milk, 9 parts (or 8 parts) water solution can be sprayed to the top and bottom of the leaves weekly until the problem goes away.

Sounds par for the course. Even with the sprays, PM is almost inevitable with such high humidity we have down here. Don't worry, in Spring, fresh new untainted leaves will sprout again. They are still tardily deciduous here in Orlando and depending on conditions, mostly sun exposure, some will fall earlier than others, but they will all eventually fall. Potted hydrangeas may behave just a little differently because they can be moved to ideal or sheltered locations with ease. I've seen the potted hydrangeas of others keep their leaves year round, but the leaves that remained were very diseased and in need of manual removal anyway. Don't forget to keep watering the dormant ones, albeit less often, over the winter months. Hope this helps.....yg

Powdery mildew is not caused by overhead watering. In fact, it tends to discourage its formation as PM spores can not survive a wet surface. It is often a late season issue, as that is when conditions are ideal for its development - warm temperatures, dry soil and high humidity/dewpoint. At this point in the growing season, I would not be overly concerned.....the shrubs will be dropping all their foliage soon enough anyway. And PM on any shrub is more of a cosmetic issue than it is anything that will permanently harm the plant. Just clean up all the foliage carefully now and when it all drops off later and dispose of it. Refreshing the mulch surrounding it can also avoid or discourage the disturbing or splashing up of any spores that may be lurking under the plant as well.