Deciduous Azalea Techniques
- Thread starter Leo in N E Illinois
- Start date
oddirt
Mame
Hi everyone, I just wanted to add a tiny bit of my experience to this thread. I’m growing western azalea (R occidentale) native to many parts of California and Oregon. In the wild, they grow in nutrient-poor, serpentine soils. They also love sphagnum bogs such as these near the border of the two states, close to these other beauties (cobra lilies, Darlingtonia californica).
Makes me think a kanuma-sphagnum mix would work, something I’ll try.
There are a few planted in my garden (in unamended clay and silt soil) that have slowly grown larger over the past decade. The only time they have flowered is when I fertilized them using a 4-8-10 fertilizer. They are very consistent about flowering when fertilized and not flowering when I forget. I’ve never pruned them, though the deer have. Thus the cages. Here’s what they look like when they do flower:
So I thought I’d pick up a few more to try them out as bonsai. The growth form does defy traditional bonsai categories but I tend to take inspiration from nature and hopefully can shape them by working with them instead of forcing them into a shape they really don’t want.
I can see buds on one (near the top of the photo below) that are about to leaf out, and I plan to make a cut just above them. This seems to be the right time to prune this species in this climate. Fingers crossed!
The observations and info in this thread have been helpful. I’ll add the outcomes of my interventions as others here have done. Huge thanks, @Leo in N E Illinois for creating a space for us to document our collective experience.
Makes me think a kanuma-sphagnum mix would work, something I’ll try.
There are a few planted in my garden (in unamended clay and silt soil) that have slowly grown larger over the past decade. The only time they have flowered is when I fertilized them using a 4-8-10 fertilizer. They are very consistent about flowering when fertilized and not flowering when I forget. I’ve never pruned them, though the deer have. Thus the cages. Here’s what they look like when they do flower:
So I thought I’d pick up a few more to try them out as bonsai. The growth form does defy traditional bonsai categories but I tend to take inspiration from nature and hopefully can shape them by working with them instead of forcing them into a shape they really don’t want.
I can see buds on one (near the top of the photo below) that are about to leaf out, and I plan to make a cut just above them. This seems to be the right time to prune this species in this climate. Fingers crossed!
The observations and info in this thread have been helpful. I’ll add the outcomes of my interventions as others here have done. Huge thanks, @Leo in N E Illinois for creating a space for us to document our collective experience.
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Update on my Gibraltar posted earlier.
Suffered a second blow-over in a storm yesterday. Glad it was wired in well.
I had planned on just letting it grow untouched this year after no flowers. The fall broke one of the strong new shoots I planned to keep. I tried to wire the others into a better direction but chickened out as they seem so brittle already. Didn't like the direction as they were growing inward.
I cut the two long shoots on the front 2 trunks back to a few leaves where the internodes were close and left the 2 on the rear trunk untouched.
The small lower left shoot took a hit in the storm but I think/hope it makes it. I've left all the growth from the buds set last year I thought were flower buds to see if it takes those to flower next year.
My aim is to find which if any will flower next year and try to understand why.
I'm left with 3 different type of shoots to see what happens.
I still want to try to get some wire on the front left branch turning inward but, so brittle... may end up cutting it off next year otherwise.
Suffered a second blow-over in a storm yesterday. Glad it was wired in well.
I had planned on just letting it grow untouched this year after no flowers. The fall broke one of the strong new shoots I planned to keep. I tried to wire the others into a better direction but chickened out as they seem so brittle already. Didn't like the direction as they were growing inward.
I cut the two long shoots on the front 2 trunks back to a few leaves where the internodes were close and left the 2 on the rear trunk untouched.
The small lower left shoot took a hit in the storm but I think/hope it makes it. I've left all the growth from the buds set last year I thought were flower buds to see if it takes those to flower next year.
My aim is to find which if any will flower next year and try to understand why.
I'm left with 3 different type of shoots to see what happens.
I still want to try to get some wire on the front left branch turning inward but, so brittle... may end up cutting it off next year otherwise.
MorddexxBonsai
Mame
Gibraltar azalea update pic taken today. My other white lights that I repotted into tube for neagari not faring well it grew a bunch of leaves then dropped them a few weeks later.
oddirt
Mame
Looking good! I'm learning a ton from this thread.
Fun fact: I just read that the species I posted on, western azalea, is in the parentage for a bunch of deciduous hybrid azaleas: https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JARS/v40n1/v40n1-cash1.htm
One of mine started creating buds. It's also putting out clear leaf/branch buds on bare wood in the "eyes" as someone had mentioned in an earlier post. Can anyone tell if the buds shown here are flower buds for next year or vegetative?
Fun fact: I just read that the species I posted on, western azalea, is in the parentage for a bunch of deciduous hybrid azaleas: https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JARS/v40n1/v40n1-cash1.htm
One of mine started creating buds. It's also putting out clear leaf/branch buds on bare wood in the "eyes" as someone had mentioned in an earlier post. Can anyone tell if the buds shown here are flower buds for next year or vegetative?
oddirt
Mame
Mine look to be vegetative which would make this flush #2 for the season.
I think/hope these huge buds will be flower buds this year after none last year. 2yr old wood maybe the secret? We'll see I guess. I want to cut it way back this year after letting it go. May repot into a plastic rectangle bonsai training pot primarily because this round one blows over too easy.
HorseloverFat
Squarepants with Conkers
My Royal Azalea seedlings have been sprouting and finding “down”.. pretty exciting!!
Brian Van Fleet
Pretty Fly for a Bonsai Guy
Ours put on a colorful and fragrant show this spring. One of Dodd’s confederate generals, but I can’t find the tag right now.
My Gibralter is starting to bloom this year after none last year. I need to review my notes and pics to confirm blooms only on 2 yr old wood. The huge buds on long nodes I believe can be cut down to the short node branches below them. Then next year these will flower on a shorter stem?
Forsoothe!
Imperial Masterpiece
I tried to investigate something like that last year. I'm pretty sure that it will lead to something good this year, which remains to be seen.
This spring I see on some Azalea where the old flower stems were not removed last year that about half of them have flowers emerging at the base of that old cluster of dead flower stems.
(What is the variety in the first picture?)
This spring I see on some Azalea where the old flower stems were not removed last year that about half of them have flowers emerging at the base of that old cluster of dead flower stems.
(What is the variety in the first picture?)
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coltranem
Chumono
Nice work. I am thinking of punting on my gibralter azalea. Since I can't get flowers on one year old wood but maybe 2 year old?
Forsoothe!
Imperial Masterpiece
Leo may correct me, but I don't think Gibralter blooms on second year wood. It blooms on last years wood as grown out from the base of last year's flower stalks. Removal of the flowers as soon as they are spent without damaging the base of the stem that the flower stems radiate from will result in a high percentage of flowering stems for the next year.
I assume this is the start of next years flowers you speak of @Forsoothe! I'm cutting the long trunks way back but had one set of flowers down low I will leave alone to see what happens next year.
HorseloverFat
Squarepants with Conkers
Looking nice!!
Just a question, though.
Are you pleased with the...um.. trident-shape?
Or is it not planning on sticking around? Or do you have plans for it?Complete curiosity.
HorseloverFat
Squarepants with Conkers
Bonsaidoorguy
Chumono
This is my Mandarin Lights azalea. I wasn't sure if I wanted to try to bonsai it, but it has a nice base and I'm able to chase the green back a little and still be confident I'll get some blooms next year. How many we'll see. I'm assuming that repot is like any other deciduous tree and timed just before bud break? It's in an azalea pot, but I'd like to get it into something different.
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