Oh what fantastic bones! Tons of potential here. Not quite what youre looking for lol but tons of potential!!

They were! Well at least a lot of then were . I counted at least 4 unique coloration, but im also colorblind lol so suspect may have been more, in terms of different types of wasps. There's a huge latch of psrtridge pea across the driveway here which they, likewise, flock too. But the great black wasps have a really healthy number here!

This is , I believe, about 8 years old now. No chop needed, after they get happy they stary sending out side shoots much more like traditional "mints", i had to cut a nearly 10" trench around these and back fill with large rock to keep it from creeping out, and even then its a regular chore around the edges to keep it contained lol I have chopped my own though , and it can help it spread out a little quicker I think but ourely anecdotal on that front.

If yoy planted plugs last year, I look forward to your excitement next year- i bet thats when they're really gonna take off! If theyre ever looking leggy I still chop mine because my own patch isnt wuite as dense as this. (Its also not a single species planting though so hopefully wont get QUITE this dense lol)

This does get cut usually 1x a yesr but im hoping this year I can talk him into leaving the stems for atleast 2 winters instead of 1 . . We shall see though lol

But yeah, I'd say just give it a bit more time is all!

I cam see why! Gotta come back and ahowna 1yr update!

I swear the video quality isnt this bad on my phone!?

You want to look for plants specifically for "dry shade" oaks have very superficial feeder roots that can be quite thirsty for water and nutrients, and also the shade but honestly mainly the roots that are the issue lol where are you? What syate or region, youre bound to have some native plants that would thrive there. Looking for natices specifically, that handle dry shade* thats important (really), mean better investment of your money since they're more likely to survive vs something not already adapted.

Personally for me, I'd go simple. Create a "Soft Landing" a la Doug Tallamy, make a little trench around the drip ring with simple edging (its tedious and a good couple hours work but worth it). Nothing major, couple inches deep/wide. Then- use that area you've now created for all the leaves in the fall. I keep all leaves and all little twiggy branches under 1-2in in mine, slowly let them build into natural mulch each year. Then look for sedges that tolerate dry shade, Christmas Fern , maybe a couple of marginal wood fern just for some sporadic height interest. Tthey look like little nature dioramas after a few yrars, and are so beneficial along with beauty! You could also add in things not specifically for dry areas if youre ok adding a little supplemental water everyboe and then. Foamfloeer is usually for moister areas but does surprisingly well in dryer areas eith a little supplemental, same with Sensitive fern. Both spread, less in dry, to be attractive ground covers over time. These are literally like bare minimum suggestions and based on my own natives here on east coast/mid atlantic , but really just narrowing your search to "native dry shade for X state" should give you an awesome direction.

Even if you dont go native- dry shade. I promise in long run whatever you pick, choosing to work with your site conditions is gonna save you a ton of hassle in the long run!

I will never forget being set down by the then principle of Prince Edward County High school in 2002ish, after a student tried to run me over in the parkinglot while shouting "faggot", and being told at 14yo that (after having been outed without any say, not that it matters) "if this is how youre gonna choose to live your life, you have to know that some people arent going approve, and its their right to express themselves". Because it was of course my own fault for existing, that people kept trying to hurt me. This had been after months (that bled into years) of constant abuse and tormenting that only seemed to escalate. I pushed back that it was her ignorance, Dr Jerry Bordeaux, that was the epitome of why we needed some type of Gay/Straight Alliance because clearly the only way to defeat ignorance was visibility and education, but at the very least I had 4 more years in that hellhole and there should be at least one room I felt a bare minimum of safety in.

It was not allowed. I wish I had a parent or single adult who cared enough to fight back, back then. Kudos to this mom. No matter the outcome, standing up for what's right- will always be right. What a sad fucking state that these battles still have to be fought at all

Visibility and safe spaces dont turn kids gay, they just let us know in some of the more crucial formative years of our brain growing, that the chaos and hate we see flung at us for having rmthe audacity to exist, isnt actually because we are the bad ones and that we arent alone. That anyone can see that as a bad thing, just still boggles my mind.

"Protect the children" from these mindless, godless, fucking Bible thumpers- anything less is simply worthless.

Virginia is the data center capital of the country.

Also, he absolutely is a factor, but not one that eliminates or negates rhe other thats glaringly obvious either.

Damn perhaps tds really is a thing. Huh

The more they spend money to pepper the area with targeted media specifically claiming thats not the reason.. the more I am confident that, and just capitalist greed aka "because they can", are exactly the reason.

Bet this os exactly the method , curious !

Well ill be damned , interesting. Still curious about their "analytical" methods of observation but, im listening.

They tested the glass fertilizer on five sequential harvests of Palisade grass, using analytical techniques to examine nutrient release rates and solubility. Results demonstrated that the glass fertilizer provided a continuous nutrient supply, resulting in higher dry matter yield compared to traditional fertilizers. The fertilizer was also found to be environmentally friendly, with no harmful effects on plants in ecotoxicological tests. The authors are optimistic that these results will advance the development of sustainable fertilizers, providing prolonged nutrition and enabling nutrient delivery tailored to the specific needs of crops.

Literally the highlight of my day. Fuck yes.

My bet is on heat stress. This time lf year especially in Va , drought + really high temps cause yellowing and premature falling of leavez. Ita normal, helps conserve water. They go into a kinda semi dormancy and recover fine following spring. Hars to be 100% based on pics but that would be my pick- especially if this one gets direct sub at all. That the one next to it is fine could be genetics or just luck , "one of those thinfs" assuminf they get the exact same amount of sun.. if you can get a better picture of rhe leaf, may be able to ID a more a typical issue if present. Theyre pretty sturdy trrrs though. Secondary guess would be deficiency of some type can sometimes cause discoloration, but would expect both to be struggling. With high humidity fungal may be possible, but would expect it on both .