I planted a group of veronica Royal Candles about a month ago and powdery mildew has shown up literally overnight. I wanted to start treatment right away so I made up a milk/water mixture and sprayed the leaves thoroughly. I've tried the milk formula and also the baking soda Cornell formula in the past with marginal success. Are there commercial formulas for mildew that work well? The veronica Pink Spires nearby look OK but I assume I should treat them as a preventative.

I've considered cutting the infected plants down fairly close to the ground, treating the remaining leaves and hoping for better luck next year. They're well-established for only being a month in the ground. Bad idea? The veronica are the only plants I have right now.

Something I've wanted to ask in past - are there some areas (meaning neighborhoods) that are prone to developing various mildews and fungi in spite of good gardening habits? I was an enthusiastic new gardener when we bought our home many years ago but I eventually gave up on perennials and stuck to a few annuals in containers. I just couldn't keep ahead of the mildew/ fungi in spite of using all the recommended garden planting and hygiene practices. I would walk around our neighborhood and see other people's plants looking widely infected as well. No matter what the weather conditions in any given year, the problem was always there. Even mildew resistant plants would be hit.

I decided to give it another try because we're putting our house on the market next spring and wanted the area near the house to look good but I'm ready to give up. Many projects going on and don't have the time to fight with mildew.