Miniature Mountain Rhododendron 'Ramapo'

Hyn Patty

Shohin
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I picked out this beauty today. I'd been eye balling them all week, but I am moving back up into the mountains and watching out for things that will cope well with cold winters up at 4,000 feet elevation in NC. This one is supposed to be good down to -32 degrees F and for a Rhododendron, it's pretty small. About 8 inches tall at the moment, before cutting. I'm going to enjoy the flowers for now. If any of you also grow any of the miniature Rhododendron from the mountains of China, I'd love to hear from you. Tips and tricks specific to this variety for bonsai is much appreciated. I understand from my reading that it will stay more compact if grown in dappled shade rather than full sun. The very lovely flowers are also small, about an inch wide or a little less and a nice purple.

Once it has completed flowering I would like to trim it back and thin out a few branches, then wire. My idea being if it is trimmed back early enough this year it'll have plenty of time to grow in thicker foliage. But not sure when the best time of the year is to trim this one back - it is evergreen.

Rhododendron 'Ramapo'.jpgRhododendron 'Ramapo' Detail.jpg
 

Hyn Patty

Shohin
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I also have a pair of Indica azalea 'California Sunset' that I'd like to train as bonsai. It has a completely different look to it though it is also evergreen. I don't think it's very cold hardy though so I kept it indoors over winter and it did fine. Growing like crazy now but I still need to separate the two plants. I think I'll practice some air laying so I have some trading fodder - and backups. The photo below is from my actual plant and it is stunning when in bloom! Heavy feeder though to keep the blooms fully double.

Belgian Indica Azalea 'California Sunset'.jpg
 

WNC Bonsai

Omono
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Nice, we have one in the ground in the back yard that seems to be doing very well. Hasn’t started blooming yet but then none of our azaleas and rhodies have. For some reason I have never really developed an interest in flowering bonsai. I seem to remember having an azalea back in the 1979s but can’t remember what happened with it. My wife tore out all the old azaleas in front of our house a couple years ago to plant dwarf conifers and oakleaf hydrangeas. They had some pretty good girth but I wasn’t back into bonsai at the time so they went to a friends yard. We have 2-3 left so I am sizing them up for training pots and keep encouraing her to find something to replace them with:).
 

Hyn Patty

Shohin
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Haha, I hope they have nice gnarly trunks for you! Well, being that I am a flower hybridizer and I do love flowers, it's no surprise that I am attracted to flowering bonsai trees. Though they of course show off their best forms when there are no leaves nor flowers, IMO. Still, flowering is brief so I can enjoy my cake and eat it to, and still have 90% of the year to enjoy the tree without the distraction of flowers. I also love the conifers.
 
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How did the rhododendron-ramapo bonsai turn out? I'm thinking about trying one or 2 myself. I cannot find much info on them.
 
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