Pat, firstly if you got rust, you got rust. Don't pine for the nice looking foliage of the land of the dormants.
There are good recommendations for spraying and managing rust here in the ATP threads. But I assume you have worked out what to do there.
I am quite sure my rust came in on bought fans. One day the ugly orange pustules were just there. I look at other daylilies on this island - the few I can find: no rust except my place. Just attend to your garden is the best. Don't worry about down the road. Rust might never sleep but I don't think it is whizzing between gardens on rollerskates
What I do is periodically trim individual leaves on fans that are unaesthetic and I always remove dead leaves. Gone are the days when sellers say daylilies are self-mulching. I burn all these leaves. If you cannot burn, put them in a sealed plastic bag for the rubbish dump. However, with rust buckets, you can sometimes only trim so much before they are chlorophyll-challenged.
So
1. I spray.
2. I do not trim leaves more than what makes a clump look nice and green to the eye. This effect can last several weeks.
3. With rust-buckets, don't overdo the trimming.
4. Just fertilise and water as normal because you are not hacking into your fans.
5. If you are disturbed by all the chemicals and spraying, I think you should seriously consider mulching the rust buckets or giving them to neighbours or relatives you dislike.
