chopped up Azaleas

[Eric Group]

Satsuki "Chinzan"- originally chopped hard last year, grew back out, repotted this season and trimmed a little bit more- just starting to back bud after the pruning. After studying these pics, I think I need to shorten it a bit and rework/ REMOVE a couple more branches.... big ole honking trunk on this one though...View attachment 75708View attachment 75707 View attachment 75709
I believe this is another Satsuki "Christmas Cheer" (Might be Kurume, I cannot remember...)- tinly little red blooms... Thought it had great movement when I bought it! Then.. I dug down in the pot and found an arrow straight trunk section no taper... Oh well... I can air layer next year if needed.
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This is the big muther Chinzan!! Looks a LOT better with all it's clothes on! Monster trunk on this one... I could go hard on it, chop it lower, remove one of the upper branches... but I like it the way it is! Probably not changing it much going forward... Eventually moving it to a smaller pot without a big ole CHIP in it (See the back shot)!

 

[Eric Group]

That bark has got me all hot and bothered. Well, I do declare!

It's got some right perdy roots up under that moss too... Just trying to keep them covered to let them keep getting gnarly and keep the soil a little extra moist, so I put that old sphagnum on top where the living moss wasn't covering... Tree REALLY took off after I did that!

 

[Mellow Mullet]

I like them, they are coming along real nice.

John

 

[just.wing.it]

Awesome stuff!

 

[the bonsai kid]

Very nice!

 

[Eric Group]

So, I was going to post about these guys on John's thread about drastically pruning azaleas, but I want one to keep pics separate and track progress without spamming his thread! So, time for the photo dump!
Kurume Hampton's Beauty 1:
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Kurume HB 2:
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Hard tot ell, but there are tiny little buds popping around that little scar on the front, so this one is moving.. it was chopped weeks after the first one.

Photography assistant obediently NOT touching the plants!
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First tree from this post is now for sale!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/bonsai.sales/


Just in case anyone had looked at this thread before and thought "hmm I'd like to have an azalea like that!"
Decided to sell this one because the new batch I got has a few I think will be better...

 

[Eric Group]

First tree from this post is now for sale!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/bonsai.sales/

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Just in case anyone had looked at this thread before and thought "hmm I'd like to have an azalea like that!"
Decided to sell this one because the new batch I got has a few I think will be better...

Speaking of a few from the new batch J believe will be better- hit after one of em today! I didn't not completely fleece this one... It is a larger older tree and I left some taller branches to have more to work with in The future and to make sure it survives without issue.. One thing I learned last year is these guys do not like have ALL their leaves removed sometimes... I lost one not two tree treating them that way last year, so I am doing the chops in more than one phase now- the initial, let it grow out then do a final branch selection after that... I only lost one nor two of the dozen or so I chopped hard last year, but the goal is always 100% survival rate!

Before work... Doesn't look like much?



The base is the star of this show:


After clearing it off some

This will probably remain a double trunk, removing that second trunk would just be too big of a scar and hurt the balance of the image I think...

 

[Eric Group]

Oh wait, there's more...
Satsuki "Miyuki"- this is one I am super excited about! These are very horizontal growers, tiny leaves, GORGEOUS multi-colored blooms with white, Pink, and swirled blooms on the same plant! This is an experiment to see how it reacts to a major chop. I know the pink blooms can be more dominant on some of the multi-colored blooming plants (from what I have read anyway..), so I am hoping it keeps the bloom variance after the chops.
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Satsuki "Beni Kashima"-This one is a MONSTER!! With some MONSTER wounds.. Branches were literally growing below the original soil level and all sorts of mess, so it took some cutting to get back to the bones! I was able to salvage a good many ground layered multi-trunkers from these branches I cut off and I am really excited about them! They did not miss a BEAT when I repotted them and this big guy is throwing out new buds at a fast pace right now...

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The blooms- great red color, cool multi-layer almost rose like bloom.
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Miyuki Just started blooming!

 

[Stickroot]

Here is the Chizan you sent me. Just a wee little girl

 

[Eric Group]

Miyuki update- a few more blooms.. All white ones (with the dark pink candy stripe) blooms so far, but they can bloom like 3 different colors!

 

[Adair M]

Eric, it looks like you've got the azalea thing working! Good job!

Your point about leaving some leaves is a good one. They can take a lot of cut back, but if you really want to save a particular branch, leave a few leaves on it. After it back buds, then you can shorten it some more.

 

[johng]

Here is the Chizan you sent me.View attachment 102423 View attachment 102424Just a wee little girl

whoops...not chinzan perhaps pink gumpo??

 

[Eric Group]

whoops...not chinzan perhaps pink gumpo??

I was thinking the same thing when I saw the blooms- sure is Possible... Easily could have gotten mixed up when I made the cuttings... I did dozens of Satsuki that year! All different kinds... Probably a blessing this is not Chinzan... My Chinzan won't even bloom! LOL

Regardless, it looks like a Satsuki to me... I think you are right John- probably a Gumpo or something like that...

 

[Stickroot]

whoops...not chinzan perhaps pink gumpo??

I was thinking the same thing when I saw the blooms- sure is Possible... Easily could have gotten mixed up when I made the cuttings... I did dozens of Satsuki that year! All different kinds... Probably a blessing this is not Chinzan... My Chinzan won't even bloom! LOL

Regardless, it looks like a Satsuki to me... I think you are right John- probably a Gumpo or something like that...

Yep! You got it.
Feed them and they bloom.

 

[Eric Group]

Hilda- grew strong this Srring, gets it first trim of the year. Much more of a vertical grower than I anticipated... The top got crazy fast...

 

[Eric Group]

This is one I think I left out of the original post- a variation off of "Gumpo" John Calls "Gumbi"- really cool blooms on this one! I think it is rounding out into a nice shape. I didn't chop this one back myself, John did a couple years ago, I got it from him last summer I believe and repotted a couple weeks back into this bonsai pot. reshaped it a bit- removing a central branch to give it more separation and movement... View attachment 76641 View attachment 76642
Hilda:View attachment 76636 View attachment 76638 View attachment 76639 Kurume HB:View attachment 76640 View attachment 76643

Gumbi update

 

[Eric Group]

Gumbi update
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Got a little hair cut

 

[Eric Group]

Got a little hair cut
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Last couple! LOVE this little tree... Blooms are beautiful, unusual, plentiful, delicately ruffled... and it just has such a simple, clean form, nice roots chunky trunk.. One of my favorites!! Thanks again to @johng for passing it on to me!
It will get a more substantial pruning after the blooms fade, but as you can see they are just starting to blow up! Quite a show left to come!

 

[Eric Group]

Last couple! LOVE this little tree... Blooms are beautiful, unusual, plentiful, delicately ruffled... and it just has such a simple, clean form, nice roots chunky trunk.. One of my favorites!! Thanks again to @johng for passing it on to me!
It will get a more substantial pruning after the blooms fade, but as you can see they are just starting to blow up! Quite a show left to come!
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A couple more Blooms popped today!! Just love this little tree...

 

[sorce]

crazy

That one is looking good!
Tree wise...

They all look good!

Sorce