Identifying azalea?

[benw3790]

Can anyone identify this azalea.. There are about five massive azalea shrubs in my parents backyard the leaves are really small and they remind me of satsuki azaleas leaves (I can only dream) and I've always though about collecting or propogating one of them. They bloom pink once a year. Haven't noticed if they're deciduous or not. I don't think they are.

 

[drew33998]

You will possibly have to wait to id them unless you have a picture of the blooms.

 

[LCBonsai]

Good possibility, what month do they bloom?

 

[benw3790]

Ah, I do not have any pictures of the blooms! I guess I'll have to wait until the next growing season to find out! :/ the way the branches grow out and how small the leaves are look just like satsuki azaleas to me, compared to all the pictures I've seen in books and on the net. The bushes are huge, I'd say, 4ft tall but with a circumference of about 8-10 ft. I really wish I could collect one but none of them have just a big, single trunk. They all have numerous trunks coming out of the base. So, I guess layering is my only option? I can get more pictures, better ones of the view of the trunks and then, of the blooms next year.

 

[drew33998]

Azaleas are very basally dominant and when they are grown as landscape material they will put out many sub-trunks. However you can chop them back very, very hard. Some people will shy away from material like this because it can be challenging to find a line for a trunk/trunks and then build from there while waiting for the tree to heal over its numerous scars. They sound a little too large circumference wise and height wise to be satsuki, but don't let that stop you. The leaves do look very small and I would think air layering would be a good bet. Whatever you take off the tree, it will replace quickly.

 

[benw3790]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Regardless of the cultivar, I would still be very interested in propagating so I will probably do a couple air layers this spring to see what I can get out of the material. I'll try to update with pics when it all goes down. Appreciate the feedback.

 

[Eric Group]

Dubt they are a Satsuki, look too big for Gumpo- and I believe most of those are white- if you are in NC, it is probably the same ole varieties we have around here, something that was most likely planted in that yard a long time ago. In my experience most varieties of Azalea make fine Bonsai... And a small leafed variety that is already growing in your climate is a perfect candidate.

Now, it will take some time to "trunk up" so try to get thick of a branch as you can get. If you know which branches you plan to use, go ahead and start shaping a little bit then do your layer in the Spring.

 

[benw3790]

Dubt they are a Satsuki, look too big for Gumpo- and I believe most of those are white- if you are in NC, it is probably the same ole varieties we have around here, something that was most likely planted in that yard a long time ago. In my experience most varieties of Azalea make fine Bonsai... And a small leafed variety that is already growing in your climate is a perfect candidate.

Now, it will take some time to "trunk up" so try to get thick of a branch as you can get. If you know which branches you plan to use, go ahead and start shaping a little bit then do your layer in the Spring.

Yes I agree, I highly doubt they're satsuki. As I said, I can only dream! Haha. But I have two other "common" azaleas I got from lowes , woch actually have nice potential. And another, that I collected from landscape material. I chopped it back really hard and it has tons of new growth. Unfortunately, it was free and spur of the moment when I collected it so it doesn't have much bonsai potential, so I'll have to be creative with it ! Its amazing how good they backbud and produce new growth from nothing! But there are about 50 different trunks I have to choose from with these bushes so I haven't got any planned out yet, thanks for sharing tho, because that'd an excellent idea! Might just have to prospect them more tomorrow.

 

[Stan Kengai]

Looks like a Kurume to me. But there are so many different species of azaleas to begin with, then varieties of those and hybrids between them, that it is often extremely difficult (if not impossible) to determine exactly what you have. If you like it, give it a shot.