my "dwarf"? dahlia has taken ill with the same ailment. Also, buds form but do not open. What is this horrible stuff? it's ALL over the plant. Not a leaf untouched.

To post a photo you need to put it up on some other site. Many people use http://photobucket.com/, I personally use http://www.flickr.com/

Once you've got the picture up, you can then put a link to it in a message here.

As far as the marks on your foilage, it certainly does sound like spider mites. Especially if the leaves are shriveling up as well.

Cheers,
Russ