Diane, Like almost all fast-growing trees, Silver Maples tend to be weak-wooded and prone to disease. It also has surface roots that worsen over the years as the tree grows ever larger. The surface roots won't be a huge issue unless the tree is near enough to the house, a patio or a sidewalk to lift the concrete and cause damage. Although it is not my favorite tree, I don't especially dislike it. We kept the one in Fort Worth because its shade was the only shade we had on the west side of our house and I felt like the kitchen would have been unbearably hot on summer afternoons without it. I couldn't get anything much to grow in the soil under it because those big surface roots took up most of the space and apparently greedily sucked up the water too. Even normally rampant ground cover type plants couldn't compete with it and survive under it. So, whether to remove it or not is, to me, a personal thing based on whether you like the look of it, whether it gives you any trouble, or whether you'd just like to replace it with a better-quality tree now as opposed to 5 or 10 years from now when it develops pest or disease issues. Also, if it is anywhere near a planting bed of any type, when it sheds its seeds, they tend to pop up everywhere and have to be pulled out. I think if it were in my yard near the house and it was not essential for shading the house, I'd take it out and replace it with a high-quality tree. Fort Worth organic gardening guru Howard Garrett, aka The Dirt Doctor, is very blunt and tells it like it is. I've linked the description of the Silver Maple from his website because it makes me laugh every time I read it. He doesn't sugarcoat things, and when people would call in to his radio show with problems with silver maples, as you might imagine, he'd tell them to get rid of the tree and replace it with a better one. As you'll notice, he disses the mimosa in his answer, and I absolutely love mimosa and planted one here years ago for the hummingbirds, so I don't always agree with The Dirt Doctor. However, my mimosa is near my garden so I can watch the hummers visit its flowers, and it is not in a prominent place in the landscape. I wouldn't have put it up close to the house because, like almost all fast-growing trees, it too is weak-wooded and prone to insect problems. That doesn't make me love it any less, it just makes me keep it more in an out-of-the-way location. Dawn Here is a link that might be useful: Silver Maple Tree Info From Howard Garrett's Website

Appears to be the fungus entomosporium, not anthracnose. The latter is a 'catch-all' term used by those who know just enough to get themselves into trouble. Mountain Ash happen to be quite susceptible to this disease. The fact that they have been through some serious stress compounds their inability with withstand disease and insect attack. One spray will never 'cure' them. These fungal spores are ubiquitous....and your plant is prone to infection. That makes control a challenge, especially once the disease has expressed itself. When the leaves fall this autumn, be sure to rake up and remove them from the area. Put them to the curb for pickup, don't use them for mulch or compost. Avoid excess fertilization or pruning practices that may stimulate lots of new growth. There are fungicides on the market that can help you control the disease and they are readily available. I never make chemical recommendations in the GardenWeb, but I know that with a little bit of research you can come up with what you need to know. Peeling bark would certainly worry me. Perhaps you could link some images of the trunk, fairly close up as well as from enough distance to see normal bark tissue, as well. The fact that the flowers appear to be perfectly healthy is of little or no significance. In the future....FYI.....smaller plants establish much more easily than larger ones.

I took them this morning - I got back last night. I haven't fertilized since I did the miracle gro early start when they were first planted. The top of the soil was completely hard and dry. In a panic after reading about late blight, I dragged the container away from the other plants, and an offshoot that was entangled with the others looks just fine - no drying or anything. Is there a good way to figure out how much I should be watering? I've been watering once a day, right at the soil level. That container is mostly top soil (another newbie mistake), so it takes awhile for the water to seep in. It does drain, but I don't always water until I see water come out - I did when I got back from my trip. Here's a closeup of the plant from June 12th

Hi Creative Tile! Thanks for looking at this post. I have no pictures of this 5 year old bathroom being built, just those in my memory. I am however taking pics of the new Mstr bath being built for this very reason. This" possible" leak is in a guest bath we are currently using full time. The water is on the tile just out side of the door threshold. Not much maybe 2-3 tablespoons, but it is still there in the evening after wiping it up in the morning. Like slow seepage. Our contractor thinks it is from water splashing on the glass door and then running under glass door. Maybe so but why does it return later in the day when no one has been using that bathroom? I will try to post a pic, not really sure how to do it. Okay well it posted but sideways, sorry. You can see the wet grout lines and the scale that has developed on the floor tiles. Any ideas? Next steps? Thanks for any input.