Azalea Purple Gem

jimib

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I was at a local hardware store today that had purple gem azaleas in 5 gallon nursery pots. They looked to be in good health, and their leaves were considerably smaller than the other varieties. They were marked down to $30 apiece. All of them had trunks between 1 inch and 1 1/4 inches. They also had an abundance of new growth on the top of them. My question is since they obviously weren’t cut back after flowering, is it too late to cut them back? I’m considering grabbing one, but if it’s too late to do anything with them this year I’m not going to mess with it. I may just buy it and hold onto it next year. But I don’t know if just letting it go, and not being pregnant or worked in anyway will be detrimental to his health next year.And you advice, or comment is greatly appreciated. Thanks6BF04849-BA85-452D-9A18-900EFFDE3C7E.jpegAA717143-7035-4964-BB1C-B1A30FBC4AA2.jpeg
 

Mellow Mullet

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But I don’t know if just letting it go, and not being pregnant or worked in anyway will be detrimental to his health next year.And you advice, or comment is greatly appreciated. Thanks

I am not sure how you tell if an azalea is pregnant, lol, I guess spell check gotcha!

You should be fine doing some heavy pruning on it, actually now is a good time. I just cut most of mine back this week.
 

GrimLore

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They also had an abundance of new growth on the top of them. My question is since they obviously weren’t cut back after flowering, is it too late to cut them back?

As John said, it should not be any problem. For the record up in the Northern States I myself and many others cut back as late as the middle of June after letting most types bloom out. They don't skip a beat and throw new flush of growth in a short time :)
The key, at least in this part of the country is that the plant is healthy and you leave the rest of it alone until next year. I never repot and cut back a new Azalea and waiting until they are established makes a HUGE difference - get it through a whole growing season and repot in the Spring :)

Grimmy
 

jimib

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Thanks for the responses...I was talking into my phone to post this and didn’t proofread..lol. I’m not sure how to tell if an azalea is pregnant. I do know, under no circumstances, should you ask it. Thanks again for the help
 

sparklemotion

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It is a rhododendron, not an azalea.

FWIW, I think if we're going to split hairs on rhodie vs. azalea, it's helpful to be clear that all azaleas are rhododendrons (and there isn't a solid boundary between the two).

Monrovia does appear to market this as a Purple Gem Rhododendron (Rhododendron x 'Purple Gem' (H-1)), but with the small leaves I don't fault others for selling it as an (evergreen) azalea.
 

just.wing.it

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FWIW, I think if we're going to split hairs on rhodie vs. azalea, it's helpful to be clear that all azaleas are rhododendrons (and there isn't a solid boundary between the two).

Monrovia does appear to market this as a Purple Gem Rhododendron (Rhododendron x 'Purple Gem' (H-1)), but with the small leaves I don't fault othersfor selling it as an (evergreen) azalea.
One distinct difference is the stamens.
Azaleas have 5 stamens.
Rhodie hybrids have more than 5.
 

shinmai

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My experience is that Purple Gem does indeed have nice, small leaves, and the beautiful blossoms are nicely in proportion to the leaves. It also will produce a wonderful exfoliating bark, and from the picture yours seems to have the potential for a nice structure if you prune some stems from the base. Though personally I'm in it for the flowers, I've produced some pretty tree-like trunks with Purple Gem. Like most rhodi hybrids for landscaping, you can prune the bejesus out of it, and within two weeks you'll have new growth which will develop enough to produce flower buds for next year. I have been told that in these latitudes, most azaleas begin to bloom around the vernal equinox, and then you have the period between the summer solstice and autumnal equinox for new growth to set buds, a theory I'm kinda-sorta keeping track of.

Personally, I've been bingeing on bargain-priced garden center azaleas [three more this morning]. If you run across one named "Rosebud" with a nice trunk, jump on it. It produces abundant pink blossoms that open to look very much like roses, about the size of a quarter in diameter. 'Gerard's Pleasant White' likewise has nice small leaves, and very Satsuki-ish white blossoms in abundance.
 

Harunobu

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FWIW, I think if we're going to split hairs on rhodie vs. azalea, it's helpful to be clear that all azaleas are rhododendrons (and there isn't a solid boundary between the two).

Monrovia does appear to market this as a Purple Gem Rhododendron (Rhododendron x 'Purple Gem' (H-1)), but with the small leaves I don't fault othersfor selling it as an (evergreen) azalea.

There is a pretty solid boundary to it, but I agree it is pointless to have a species definition splitters vs lumpers debate here. They used to be different species and a strong argument can be made in favour of it. But more relevant is that knowing if something is a lepidote rhododendron, an elepidote rhododendron, a decidious azalea, or an evergreen azalea tells you a lot about the characteristics of your bonsai subject.

Actually, while azalea species usually have 5 stamen, hybrids may have any number of stamen. There are hybrids that have flowers ranging for 5 to 7 stamen and/or petals on the same plant.
 

shinmai

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I commented earlier about how you could prune the crap out of rhodi azaleas and they would bounce back.
D0A88E22-15CD-4465-9401-BABCCF13D12E.jpeg
Four weeks ago this was a 15” ‘Ramapo’, which was completely defoliated. It is now 5”, and beginning to leaf out beautifully.
The pot is by Marcus Berenbrinker, by way of the European Bonsai Potters Collective, accessible via Harry Harrington’s site, bonsai4me.com. That’s a tree frog sculpted on the front.
This is how you end up with a $15 azalea in a $150 pot.
 
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