Sunwyrm's "Azalea 2020-2025" Entry

[Sunwyrm]

So this might not be the smartest decision I've ever made in bonsai... but I'm going to attempt a mixed azalea forest!

I bought 3 trees just for this contest, and was so torn on which to go with (also had an untouched group I bought from Walmart sitting behind my other azaleas in the garage). I did a coin toss and lost

First tree I bought, thinking for an informal upright - and now the main trunk in my forest.

Second tree I bought for a cascade - now I'm thinking I'll still go that route and put it on the end (this is the tree I was going to go with before I thought I'd just incorporate everything into the same planting).

Third, I bought for a small group/forest.

And in case I need some extra filler trees, my Walmart group, and to make my cascade end's leaves a little less out of place.

I can't find hardly any azalea forests, and there's likely good reason for that, but here goes nothing.

 

[BuckeyeOne]

No fair!!
Now I gotta go buy another 5.
Damnit!!

 

[Pitoon]

So this might not be the smartest decision I've ever made in bonsai... but I'm going to attempt a mixed azalea forest!

I bought 3 trees just for this contest, and was so torn on which to go with (also had an untouched group I bought from Walmart sitting behind my other azaleas in the garage). I did a coin toss and lost

First tree I bought, thinking for an informal upright - and now the main trunk in my forest.

Second tree I bought for a cascade - now I'm thinking I'll still go that route and put it on the end (this is the tree I was going to go with before I thought I'd just incorporate everything into the same planting).

Third, I bought for a small group/forest.

And in case I need some extra filler trees, my Walmart group, and to make my cascade end's leaves a little less out of place.

I can't find hardly any azalea forests, and there's likely good reason for that, but here goes nothing.

Technically the rules were set for one tree

 

[Sunwyrm]

No fair!!
Now I gotta go buy another 5.
Damnit!!

Right? It kinda feels like I'm cheating, (and hopefully @Pitoon can tell me yay or nay on if it's one trunk or one planting/pot), then again I have a complete lack of faith in my ability to make this look good... but it'll be fun!

Hoping to end up with something like this, but with a few more varied trunks interspersed, maybe a little taller on the main trunk. Forgive my midnight mobile drawing.

 

[Sunwyrm]

Technically the rules were set for one tree

Back to the drawing board! ...or the nursery - I'm kinda sold on this doing this one anyway

No fair!!
Now I gotta go buy another 5.
Damnit!!

Hey man, there aren't enough Azalea forests out there! We need to be encouraging this sort of thing! @Pitoon can we get a new category?

I'm thinking I'll just develop the cascade above for the contest separately. It's blooms might've looked wonky against all the rest.

 

[Sunwyrm]

Apparently "Gillie" is still a pretty bright pink, my tag is just very faded

Other angles

Tilted

 

[Pitoon]

I think the forest idea is a good one, but let's stick to the rules so it's fair across the board.

 

[Sunwyrm]

I agree. And this was my original leaning, so I'm happy.

 

[Harry Bushwhacker]

Apparently "Gillie" is still a pretty bright pink, my tag is just very faded

Other angles

Tilted

Looks good man, good luck.

 

[Sunwyrm]

Flowering updates!

The tag

The reality

Upright

Repotting plan

 

[Forsoothe!]

An Azalea forest won't work because they have the opposite form of good candidates: skinny trunks that ramify to wide tops. We tolerate that in return for the flowers, but they do not have really bonsai-like wood which we wouldn't accept without the flowers. You would need to grow pre-forest individuals of columnar shape with short, flattened branches that can be interleaved with neighbors without the individualism of the branches getting lost in one big merged cluster. Also, the leaf shape/size/thickness will conflict with the thinness of branches. All of these factors will make the overall appearance incongruous. But, go ahead and do the difficult and you'll be famous if you succeed.

 

[Pitoon]

Could it be they put the wrong tag on the plant? Gillie cultivar is similar to that flower just more pinkish.

 

[Sunwyrm]

An Azalea forest won't work because they have the opposite form of good candidates: skinny trunks that ramify to wide tops. We tolerate that in return for the flowers, but they do not have really bonsai-like wood which we wouldn't accept without the flowers. You would need to grow pre-forest individuals of columnar shape with short, flattened branches that can be interleaved with neighbors without the individualism of the branches getting lost in one big merged cluster. Also, the leaf shape/size/thickness will conflict with the thinness of branches. All of these factors will make the overall appearance incongruous. But, go ahead and do the difficult and you'll be famous if you succeed.

Thank you! And yeah, there's no way I could do a proper azalea forest, I was just being silly for the contest. There are a few already out there, doubt I'd ever have one nice enough to be famous over. I have a group I repotted from above that I might make an attempt to keep together, but it put on such a show this year that it might just go back to the garden. We'll see.

 

[Sunwyrm]

Could it be they put the wrong tag on the plant? Gillie cultivar is similar to that flower just more pinkish.

Entirely possible, it was by itself in the clearance section. Also looks like the first flower was just very red! There's more pinkish-salmon throughout now, with still quite a bit of reds.. who knows

 

[Harunobu]

Nah, that's 'Robin Hill Gillie'. The tag is correct, but the picture on the tag isn't (or faded).

Donno about azalea as a forest. Can't recall seeing a picture of that again, but I can check my books. Yes, azaleas do better in flower than without. But there are prently of azalea bonsai that make great bonsai all year round. Not from this kind of material in 5 years, that's for sure. But yeah, they are bushy plants. But you can still do a group planting, of course. Will it literally remind people of a miniature forest? Unlikely, but who gives?

 

[Sunwyrm]

Nice, ty! Looks incredibly faded to me, but it's getting tossed as soon as it's repotted here soon.

 

[Pitoon]

Any updates? Did you decide on which one?

 

[Sunwyrm]

I never updated this! Here's pics from after my repot. It's already backbudding.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Hi @Sunwyrm .
If you haven’t had a chance to yet, please to fill out the azalea media (substrate) poll.
My thanks and please disregard this note if you’ve already polled.
Cheers!
DSD sends

 

[Sunwyrm]

Hi @Sunwyrm .
If you haven’t had a chance to yet, please to fill out the azalea media (substrate) poll.
My thanks and please disregard this note if you’ve already polled.
Cheers!
DSD sends

No Napa 8822 in your poll, but I'll splurge on this one and buy it kanuma if it wins!