More cemetery azaleas

CWTurner

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I got a call from my cemetery contact a week or two ago, saying that they pulled some more azalea that I might be interested in. I did collect a couple and while I was there they pulled a half dozen more and dropped them in the dump area for me.

Here's some pics.

This was an easy one.
easy collection.jpg
Bare rooted
easy bare.jpg
Here's a couple of large ones coming off the truck.
dumping.jpg
One of them wasn't worth collecting but the other seemed to be, so I watered it with a 5 gallon bucket for a few days while I collected some others.

First I chopped it back some, taking out dead and overly straight branches.
dumped chop.jpg

Then I reduced the size of the root ball.
dumped small ball.jpg

I turned it on its side and cut the ball to 6" or so. This can often require a chain saw if there is one massive root, but this one didn't have that and all-in-all I spent about 45 hot minutes getting it into my trunk.
dumped in car.jpg

I let a hose mist it overnight with some old towels wrapped around the roots. Then I cleaned out the crotch to see what I could use. What a mess. (as in other walks of life, until you clean out the crotch, you don't know what you're working with)
dumped above.jpg

There was some interesting trunk in there but unfortunately only one side with potential. If I chopped in to just that trunk, I would have lost almost all the nebari. Still, I had to remove some side branches that left this pretty ugly. So I got aggressive and squared off the root ball and boxed it up.
dumped squared.jpg

dumped boxed.jpg
I know I gotta cut this more, but for now, I'm gonna wait ti see if it lives.

I'll post some pics of the others when I have time.
CW
 

Tieball

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Nice.... dry nice material to work with. A fabulous contact!
 

CWTurner

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Here are some of the others. Nothing really special except for this first easily collected one.
first-easy one.jpg

I almost threw this in my trash pile, but somehow it felt appropriately spooky for the season.
Front
scary1.jpg
Back
scary2.jpg

This on has a decent trunk flare, but the bark was really damaged when they pulled it out of the ground.
Potted1.jpg

It doesn't show well in the photo, but this is all growing from one base. Clump maybe?
potted clump.jpg

I don't know what to say about this one.
Front
potted f.jpg
Back
potted b.jpg

Lots of bark damage on this one and another, so I just put them in the ground.
In the ground.jpg
CW
 

j evans

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The right contacts and the right situation, good job on acquiring material that a lot of us would be happy to have.
 

defra

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The one in the blue tub is my favorite tree for sure love to see it progress!!
 

Tieball

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Excellent material for you to enjoy. I think there is enough difference in each of them to create excellent challenges and satisfaction in creative solutions well done. Each is giving you terrific learning opportunities. And....you’re up for the challenge.

I think that the “I’m not sure what to say about this one”.....is going to be your favorite in the end....or at least my favorite tree.
 
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BigBen

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Very nice material CWTurner, lot's to work with there!
Best of luck with the transformations.

BB
 

Giga

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I would totally take one off your hands - oh I'll be in PA(Harrisburg) in the 1st week over November
 

JudyB

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Very cool. You'll have to keep this updated, I really like some of these.
 

CWTurner

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A couple updates.

I like the base on this one. Growing out well. I have to rub off the sprouts at the base every week or two.
nice1.jpg

This is also growing well everywhere I needed it to. (bet most of you want to reach out and clip off those dead branches on the left though)
Blue pot.jpg
This one had some damaged bark and I was wondering how it would react. It is healing surprisingly well. Its hard to tell from my pics, but it has a powerful trunk. I could lose the two trunks on the left, though they all emerge from the same base. It would look good from a front, but the back would suck. This is a larger leafed white azalea. I think Delaware Valley White.
damaged bark.jpg

Sorry about the picture quality. It was an overcast day, but the sun kept poking through just as I was ready to shoot.

All the rest are alive and thriving. None died!
CW
 

JudyB

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A couple updates.

I like the base on this one. Growing out well. I have to rub off the sprouts at the base every week or two.
View attachment 198758

This is also growing well everywhere I needed it to. (bet most of you want to reach out and clip off those dead branches on the left though)
View attachment 198759
This one had some damaged bark and I was wondering how it would react. It is healing surprisingly well. Its hard to tell from my pics, but it has a powerful trunk. I could lose the two trunks on the left, though they all emerge from the same base. It would look good from a front, but the back would suck. This is a larger leafed white azalea. I think Delaware Valley White.
View attachment 198760

Sorry about the picture quality. It was an overcast day, but the sun kept poking through just as I was ready to shoot.

All the rest are alive and thriving. None died!
CW
What are your plans for the first one pictured in this post? I would take it down to the first branch, or even down as far as the new shoots at the crotch!
 

CWTurner

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What are your plans for the first one pictured in this post? I would take it down to the first branch, or even down as far as the new shoots at the crotch!
Well, I don't intend to use it all, but I want to let it get healthier before I decide. I'm leaning toward using the the thin branch on the left to start my apex, cut off the trunk above that. I forget if I have buds on that short curvy trunk on the right, but if so, those two may be all I need.
The trunk is fairly thick behind those new lower shoots, but who knows.
CW
 
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