It certainly sounds like powdery mildew. It's not going to come off if that's the case, and is a mildew-fungus growing on the leaves themselves. This doesn't seem to be a problem up here in the desert, so I'll let others give you more advice on dealing with it. Diane

Diane,

A friend of mine had PM on her roses a couple of years ago. Also, I just pulled up many images of PM on the web. I guess I don't know how to explain what it looks like. Maybe if your dishwasher stops mid cycle, your glasses will look like this. it's not on the under side and is very even all over the leaves that were already in existence when you purchased it. New leaves that sprout after you bring it home don't have this residue.

But thanks for the input,

andrea

Without pictures of the leaves in question it's hard to say whether it's spray residue or powdery mildew. Nurseries do use sprays on their plants and it may have been mixed with some kind of sticker that would be harder to get off. If the plant looks otherwise healthy I wouldn't worry about it. It will wash off on it's own in time. If the leaves are crinkled and distorted in shape then it could be PM.

Seil,

Leaves aren't distorted. And I've seen this on roses purchased from nurseries before. Thanks for the info.
You are right I'm sure, I shouldn't worry about it.

Thanks,

andrea

Kim,

That's it!! When I mentioned unfinished dishes in the dishwasher, that's exactly the same thing. The final rinsing hasn't been done.

I hope you are well. I and 4 legged types and flowery friends are doing very well.. My gardener whacked off the top of my overgrown lemon tree and another 5 foot bush that was now 10 feet, and I discovered a little more sunshine in my yard. Still not enough for the beautiful (and large) OGRs that I've seen, but enough for a few more common types.

Thanks again,

andrea

Thanks, Andrea, I'm fine and glad you are, also. Mineral deposits are the curse of much of our water. You should see how extreme they are in really hot, dry situations! There usually isn't much you can do about them, unless you water with filtered water and don't have any other sprinklers hitting your plants. One friend has HOA slopes behind her house. The rainbirds on the slope drench the climbers on her rear wrought iron fence and are crusted in mineral deposits. There isn't anything to do about them because it is too hot, dry and sunny to spray them with any kind of oil to prevent the minerals from drying on the foliage, leaving the deposits. Unfortunately, there is no plant "Jet Dry." Kim