Wakaebisu Azalea

[shakotan710]

This was one of the first plants that I bought when I became interested in bonsai. Earliest pictures are from 2017.

The tree as purchased, less than $10 after tax.




Repotted and pruned, sitting in kanuma.

 

[shakotan710]

Flowering in May of 2018.

 

[shakotan710]

Fall color 2019. Pictures of thinning and light pruning will be posted soon.

Major styling this late winter/early spring to get a better shape. Repot will happen around the same time too.

 

[shakotan710]

Repotted into a bigger container to help get a better root spread over the next few years. Reduced most of the shoots down to bifurcations besides sacrificial branches. Lost a decent amount of flowers due to the pruning but looking forward to having some better structure and shape in the future.

 

[shakotan710]

Flowering has begun!!

 

[Pitoon]

Why didn't you cut it back hard to start the overall shape?

 

[shakotan710]

Why didn't you cut it back hard to start the overall shape?

Pitoon,
Extensive root work and I'm still contemplating what my goal is. I've been told that these can take a hard prune with no issues so I'm aware of what it can take but figured it could wait till next year.

 

[shakotan710]

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Lovely flowers.
I like the multiple flower colors, light pinks and and dark pinks and some with sectors of light and dark pink. This is really nice.

Some of the 'Wakaebisu' sold in the USA have been propagated to the point where they lost the ability to produce the multiple flower colors. Apparently the propagators only used the darkest flower color stems for cuttings, and as a result in many parts of the southern tier of USA, landscape nurseries you only find a uniform flower color form of 'Wakaebisu'. Nice that you have one that is closer to the "original" 'Wakaebisu'.

 

[shakotan710]

Lovely flowers.
I like the multiple flower colors, light pinks and and dark pinks and some with sectors of light and dark pink. This is really nice.

Some of the 'Wakaebisu' sold in the USA have been propagated to the point where they lost the ability to produce the multiple flower colors. Apparently the propagators only used the darkest flower color stems for cuttings, and as a result in many parts of the southern tier of USA, landscape nurseries you only find a uniform flower color form of 'Wakaebisu'. Nice that you have one that is closer to the "original" 'Wakaebisu'.

Leo,

Thanks for the kind words! I had no idea behind the history of Wakaebisu propagation; it's so interesting hearing little bits of info like this.