Azelea Ideas

[AstroDevil95]

HI All,

Picked the up at the nursery today. I liked this one because of its trunk and thought I could make something out of it. Its looking really lanky right now but I plan on doing some major chopping one the branches set a little.

Any ideas or tips with this guy? I don't love how its looking right now, but with a little patience I think it could look real neat one day.


Thanks!

 

[Wulfskaar]

I have no experience with those, but I like it!

 

[Shibui]

Azaleas bud easily from old, bare wood so I think this one will probably produce lots of new shoots back along the branches after this pruning.
Sometimes, leaving long branches with growth at the ends suppresses new shoots so, If you don't get enough new shoots you should cut back hard after flowering.

Azaleas are generally quite brittle so I think you have done quite well to wire and bend those branches without breaking any.

 

[AstroDevil95]

Azaleas bud easily from old, bare wood so I think this one will probably produce lots of new shoots back along the branches after this pruning.
Sometimes, leaving long branches with growth at the ends suppresses new shoots so, If you don't get enough new shoots you should cut back hard after flowering.

Azaleas are generally quite brittle so I think you have done quite well to wire and bend those branches without breaking any.

Thank you! Yes plan is to let this guy chill for a little while. I want to see how it reacts to the pruning and hopefully starts to get some new shoots closer down to the actual trunk. Wanted to leave some leaves and green on this but I envision most of the branches to be cut back even more.

Since we are already heading into later spring months here - would you recommend the next pruning next year around this time? As a beginner i have killed a few trees messing around too much.

Thanks!

 

[Shibui]

As a beginner i have killed a few trees messing around too much.

Very important lesson in horticulture.

would you recommend the next pruning next year around this time?

Whether to prune is the first consideration. Only prune if the tree shows it is happy, healthy and growing well.
Time of year is far less important. You will usually get a similar result after pruning no matter what time of year but results may take longer if pruned close to dormant season. fastest results from pruning soon after flowering as that's when most Azalea growth happens.
IF your tree flowers well and still looks good you may get away with a prune after this season flowers. To be even more safe, I'd wait till after next Spring flowering. Bonsai is a longer term project. Need to get used to thinking in years rather than weeks or months.