Question
Hi,

I had a potted rosemary tree for 3 years and never had any problems. It is in a sunny spot in our screen porch in FL.

This summer however, I noticed some browning just on the side of the tree towards the porch screen. I rotated it not really knowing what happened. Well, long story short it continued to brown and currently is completely brown.

I do not know what happened, I know we had a very wet spring/summer so there is the possibility of overwatering since it gets wet when it rains.  

How do I know is if it is dead? It is all brown but the trunk feels strong. Also the leaves are brown but they're still on the stems and they feel sticky like normal leaves. Any recommendations? I really hate to throw it out if I have the possibility to save it.

One more thing I remembered but are not sure if it is related at all.  In January the plant got a white powdery stuff that I figured was some bug, I keep trimming, trimming, until I got rid of it - but then the browning started in early summer. Again not sure if it was related.  

Many thanks for your advice -
Barbara

Answer
Barbara:
The white stuff was powdery mildew. The heavy winter pruning could  cause it to die: receiving too much water; not watering it on a regular schedule;being root bound. These are the most likely causes to die, If no green branches are visible, it is usually gone to rosemary heaven.

Leroy