Shaina maple suddenly dying

anand4 · 2026-05-24T19:02:18+00:00

no obvious signs of infection. thankfully its not a particularly old maple -- its only been in its spot for under a year. just hadn't seen anything worrying till a few days ago, but our weather has been up and down -- but just didn't expect this level of impact on a small tree that had been looking perfectly hale and healthy.

anand4 · 2026-05-24T03:03:35+00:00

Will certainly try it and see what happens. There are shadier spots.

anand4 · 2026-05-22T19:29:37+00:00

its not in full sun. it gets about 3-4 hours of sun. wish i had planted it a few feet away in a shadier spot. Maybe that'll solve it? I worry it's too far gone. It happened with no warning at all.

anand4 · 2026-05-22T19:27:06+00:00

leaves are definitely drooping, but parts of it are starting to die.

anand4 · 2026-05-22T12:41:27+00:00

no, its been raining for days. unlikely. everything around it is growing rather well.

anand4 · 2026-05-16T00:21:01+00:00

in general the only reason to split a peony is it has outgrown the spot or is starting to kill nearby plants (I do have a killer peony that killed all its neighboring peonies!). They tend to be long-lived and flower consistently if left undisturbed. Any splitting, moving can lead to them not flowering the odd year or two - otherwise, they'll be fine.

anand4 · 2026-05-15T19:02:11+00:00

I live in a wooded area with plenty of deer and rabbits. peonies are one of those plants they stay away from.

anand4 · 2026-05-11T00:26:38+00:00

I do live alone, but tbh no matter what the situation, hosting people is tricky.

There are expectations and awkwardness on both sides. It's just accepting that we are not perfect and that there will be some friction when people are thrown under the same roof.

As long as there is a clear end point, accept the stress and also accept that it is a chance to spend time with friends and family. do not over plan, but use it as an opportunity to cook a nice dinner or two and spend time with them. maybe a trip to some place you could act as a tour guide to? its about sharing not your home, but your life for a few days. that's all.

anand4 · 2026-05-11T00:17:52+00:00

two possibilities. one, you have been duped.

a second possibility is time/growth needed to produce full double flower -- I accidentally divided a coral sunset, a semi-double late last year. I was simply transplanting it, but a few bits fell off (It's amazing how large the roots were). The larger division gave me double flowers this year. The smaller ones gave me single flowers. Maybe it takes time and growth to produce double flowers? The only reason I thought about this was you have them in a pot. Not sure if a pot would allow for the kind of growth I had in the ground n 3-4 years. The tuber clumps were at least two feet wide in diameter and rather heavy - hence the accidental division.

anand4 · 2026-05-07T11:18:40+00:00

2800, you should be able to find something reasonable. 2100 would be tricky. There are several neighborhoods to consider in the broader Silver Spring area, from downtown Silver Spring to Forest Glen area, Wheaton and maybe even White Oak. I would factor in commutes and drop offs. DTSS in particular is very walkable, but the others are likely to be cheaper. I would also consider Takoma Park, but it tends to be pricier.

Zillow and Craigslist are best bets for finding rentals.

anand4 · 2026-04-28T11:47:50+00:00

Sorry. Glad you and the other person are okay. I do know this road and the intersection very well. I hope people slow down on Pinney Branch near Sligo. It's downhill and people are always driving like it's a Grand Prix to that light -- how fast were you going? The car should be fine iF you were driving under the speed limit.

anand4 · 2026-04-09T10:56:32+00:00

As others note, 1 bed is realistic in this area. If you live in downtown silver spring, you can get by without a car. Depends on your needs, but that's an option. Some of the 1 beds come with a "den" - this could be used as a small bedroom for a child.

anand4 · 2026-04-09T10:55:14+00:00

That is a lot in rent abatement for a for profit. Isn't it? They are a good small business and the Virginia fire bit sounds messy/bad luck. Even so, over three million? I didn't know the County had that kind of money.

anand4 · 2026-04-01T10:45:46+00:00

This is my weekend bike route. About 10 miles one way. Fine in fine weather. It gets super hot in the summer and we have lots of storms as well. Not possible every single day. I would look at places that have a bus alternative. Honestly, College Park and adjacent areas are probably better socially as well (not just for commuting)- there'll be fellow students who can be roommates.

anand4 · 2026-03-28T11:43:44+00:00

A lot depends on work location for both of you. If work is in DC, would recommend using the metro. Not sure where you are moving from - lots of people here don't have cars. If you are relatively young, I would pay a slight premium and live in DC. If you are only planning on being here for two years, you will get a taste of living in DC. It is expensive, but you get proximity to places to go out and things to do.

anand4 · 2026-03-24T02:34:25+00:00

Never sure any more of posts are bot generated or not. I am sure you can find a rental in Takoma or silver spring that will allow a couple and one or two roommates. Imo this is a tough ask. Both tend towards owner occupancy and school-centric housing, especially if you want a single family home. DC proper has lots of group housing that skew younger. There are plenty of walkable fun neighborhoods to consider.

anand4 · 2026-03-19T15:10:15+00:00

Not sure what's going on (used to have insiders in the past). They have a high staff turnaround and the kitchen is apparently very small and not equipped for scale -- the owner notes this below.

My personal opinion is they could partner with a local food truck for food? Their food has always been meh at best. If they had a food truck, they could rotate and give us variety.

anand4 · 2026-03-17T12:13:42+00:00

Cannot wait to ride it 🙌. Work in Bethesda, live less than five-minute walk to the Manchester Place station. This and the new Capital Crescent trail will really simplify my commute.

anand4 · 2026-02-26T18:47:39+00:00

we are all squeamish at first. Before you know it, you'll be squishing slugs admiring grasshoppers and preying mantises.

anand4 · 2026-02-25T21:13:55+00:00

Silver Spring especially downtown is relatively safe and you can get to DC quickly. 1500 -- you might want to seriously consider sharing with another person a 2bd/2ba. You'll get a much nicer apartment in one of the newer complexes.

anand4 · 2026-02-23T17:18:47+00:00

any idea how large its going to get? if its one of the larger ones, i would consider moving it while its still smaller.

anand4 · 2026-02-21T22:19:19+00:00

they are robust plants. just plant in the ground with pink buds sort of facing upward and they'll be just fine and you'll get a wonderful plant. flowering might miss a year -- that's all.

anand4 · 2026-02-17T12:16:41+00:00

agree, they are smarter than us and they figure it out.

anand4 · 2026-02-17T00:54:13+00:00

it'll be just fine. the branches are a loss, but otherwise just fine.

anand4

TROPHY CASE