My 'Ben Oki' azalea

[akhater]

Brian
You may have said / answered this before, I have read this thread many times but did not tonight. Question, why remove all the flowers tonight, they still seem in good shape, what happens if you just let them fall off as they die?
Beautiful Tree, you have done a wonderful job with it from the start of a shrub.

I'm not Brian but flowers die and transform into seeds, takes too many energy from the tree.
The flowers are kept long enough to enjoy the show and removed before the start to wither to save energy and resume growth

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

If allowed, will all 3 buds open through the flowering season and if so, do they appear less spectacular due to the space limitations?

I guess it’s a matter of personal preference. The mass of color is fine, but I appreciate a little space between the flowers. It’s the difference between these two shots:

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Brian
You may have said / answered this before, I have read this thread many times but did not tonight. Question, why remove all the flowers tonight, they still seem in good shape, what happens if you just let them fall off as they die?
Beautiful Tree, you have done a wonderful job with it from the start of a shrub.

I have found it’s eaaier to remove them at this stage, than to wait until they’re slimy...or crispy. Plus, I had time last night.?

 

[Hartinez]

I guess it’s a matter of personal preference. The mass of color is fine, but I appreciate a little space between the flowers. It’s the difference between these two shots:
View attachment 238582

Holy smokes. I see what you mean and agree. The slight contrast of pink and green makes for a very nice image.

 

[JudyB]

I like it both ways....
It's a wonderful sight to see Brian, I will need to remove mine in a week or so. I had time to thin the number of buds, but didn't thin the blooms of 3 this year, no time. It is interesting the coloration difference between your kurume and mine.

 

[just.wing.it]

One of my all time favorite azaleas, well done!

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

I like it both ways....
It's a wonderful sight to see Brian, I will need to remove mine in a week or so. I had time to thin the number of buds, but didn't thin the blooms of 3 this year, no time. It is interesting the coloration difference between your kurume and mine.

I get it, some years I barely have time to feed, and some years, I can actually stay on top of most everything. There are tons of different colors of Kurume Azalea. Our area is full of them and it’s always a treat to see everything in bloom like it is now. I had one that was bright red, single small blooms that I sold years ago, and all shades from white to salmon and everything between.

 

[JudyB]

Wow that red must have been amazing. Didn't know that there was so much color variation! I like the simple flowers the best. We just don't have them around here with our climate, must be so pretty your springs. Can't wait to see your Kinsai again, it's a nice one.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Wow that red must have been amazing. Didn't know that there was so much color variation! I like the simple flowers the best. We just don't have them around here with our climate, must be so pretty your springs. Can't wait to see your Kinsai again, it's a nice one.

Lots of colors. Here a few I’ve had and sold over the years, second one is that red.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Had a chance to prune it back yesterday. It looks a bit rough, but hopefully it will respond as well as last year.
Before and after:

 

[Gary McCarthy]

I really like the thinned out look. Gives it a little bit more of a delicate feel.

 

[JudyB]

Hey @Brian Van Fleet , (Fly guy...) When you take the flowers off, do you try to get the whole stem? Or will they drop on their own? I am worried about damaging the small shoots behind them when I try to get the entire stem and bud shell that is behind the stem.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Hey @Brian Van Fleet , (Fly guy...) When you take the flowers off, do you try to get the whole stem? Or will they drop on their own? I am worried about damaging the small shoots behind them when I try to get the entire stem and bud shell that is behind the stem.

I remove the flower bud at the base, either by laying the scissors just on top of the leaves, or plucking it out with my index finger and thumb. This one usually isn’t growing much by the time I remove the flowers, but I have not noticed the new fuzzy silver buds getting damaged by flower removal. I’m not super careful about this tree.

 

[JudyB]

I remove the flower bud at the base, either by laying the scissors just on top of the leaves, or plucking it out with my index finger and thumb. This one usually isn’t growing much by the time I remove the flowers, but I have not noticed the new fuzzy silver buds getting damaged by flower removal. I’m not super careful about this tree.

Yeah, mine is for some reason putting out it's new growth pretty quick this time. I had not really seen the silver shoots as I removed flowers before, so was wondering if I just cut the flowers off close to the stem if that would do the same thing.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Yeah, mine is for some reason putting out it's new growth pretty quick this time. I had not really seen the silver shoots as I removed flowers before, so was wondering if I just cut the flowers off close to the stem if that would do the same thing.

Might be quicker and safer to pluck the flower buds out with your fingers this time.

 

[JudyB]

Yup just finished, that is what I wound up doing. Tree is vigorous so that's good. Thanks Bri.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

One last fall color shot. Not sure if I shared this already or not...

 

[Mellow Mullet]

Looks nice, Brian. That little shot of cold that we had a couple of weeks ago really brought the fall color out.

 

[Francesco84]

Looks nice, Brian. That little shot of cold that we had a couple of weeks ago really brought the fall color out.

One last fall color shot. Not sure if I shared this already or not...
View attachment 273239

Gorgeous! What percentage of your leaves fall off? I have a similar one that is shedding most of its leaves right now, except the green wintering buds and leaves... The color went from dark green to yellow-green, to yellow than they started falling last week. Do you green house or cold frame it?

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Gorgeous! What percentage of your leaves fall off? I have a similar one that is shedding most of its leaves right now, except the green wintering buds and leaves... The color went from dark green to yellow-green, to yellow than they started falling last week. Do you green house or cold frame it?

Probably 60% of the leaves fall off in December, and those that remain are usually clustered around the flower buds.
It doesn’t get any winter protection in my climate. Most everything I have is hardy right on the benches all year long.