When reading 'Satsuki' by Alexander Kennedy, he used a picture of a Dai-seiko, which immediately caught my eye. I was searching for one for quite a while, and now I've finally acquired one! There's lots of lovely new growth and the plant looks to be quite healthy.
I think I'll take quite a few cuttings from this one, and I plan to take a few which will only produce the pink flowers as I think that form would be nice too.
Unfortunately, this plant did have it's delivery delayed four times so it was in the post for 6 days. As a result, I'll probably keep it in a bit more shade than my others for a few days and keep a close eye on it to make sure there's no problems. I did thoroughly water it when it arrived this morning.
As you can see, the trunk is quite messy and not very defined. I'm still not sure if I'll try and develop this into a bonsai or keep it purely for it's flowers, which isn't a terrible idea. I think it may take a lot of work to turn this into a bonsai, but I'll bring it into my next bonsai club meeting and get their advice on it too.
Attachments
Glaucus
Omono
Wow, that's pretty lucky to read a book on satsuki, fancy one pictured in it. And then manage to find a nursery-sized plant of that exact cultivar. Where did you even get it? Koirin azalea centre?
You can always take the patient way and only bonsai up the cuttings you take from it, and keep the original plant nice and large.
BTW, I think Mini Satsuki can ship to the UK once more as well. So if you want to pick up some more but smaller, check their site during the flowering period every once in a while.
You can always take the patient way and only bonsai up the cuttings you take from it, and keep the original plant nice and large.
BTW, I think Mini Satsuki can ship to the UK once more as well. So if you want to pick up some more but smaller, check their site during the flowering period every once in a while.
Yep, Koirin Azalea Centre. I believe the only varieties they have right now are Dai-seiko and Komei, but they said that they have more varieties available in Autumn. This one was 4L for £30, but they do a 2L for £18. It probably would've made more sense to get the 2L if I wanted to turn it into a bonsai, but as you said I'll likely just bonsai the cuttings I take from this. Perhaps air-layering could be an option too?
Yeah, I have checked out MiniSatsuki a few times now and they had a massive selection a few months ago. I think I'll likely pick up a few small ones from there to expand my variety of cultivars, and maybe pick a bigger one up from Bonsai Plaza (thinking a Hi-no-Maru)
Glaucus
Omono
Yes, you can easily air layer branches. Often, low growing azaleas will air layer their own branches naturally. You can even air layer a single trunk azalea into two parts by putting a new pot halfway.
Thin branches you don't even need to wound. Just put them in soil, somehow.
That's actually crazy odds. Out of the 2000 satsuki cultivar you pick one very rare one, namely Daiseiko, and they happen to have available right now two out of those 2000. With one of them being the rare one you picked.
Minisatuski should be able to hold onto the satsuki you pick and ship them all at the end of the flowering season. They add new ones as they flower, and they get removed when they are sold.
Thin branches you don't even need to wound. Just put them in soil, somehow.
That's actually crazy odds. Out of the 2000 satsuki cultivar you pick one very rare one, namely Daiseiko, and they happen to have available right now two out of those 2000. With one of them being the rare one you picked.
Minisatuski should be able to hold onto the satsuki you pick and ship them all at the end of the flowering season. They add new ones as they flower, and they get removed when they are sold.
Would ordinary garden centre ericaceous soil work for this? I’ve never heard of this before, only people using sphagnum moss. I’ll have to give it a try. When would be the best time to carry this out?
Is Daiseiko really that rare? I couldn’t find any background information on it and it doesn’t seem to be listed on satsukimania, though it might be in a Satsuki dictionary but I don’t have one of those yet.
Glaucus
Omono
I had to look up the name of Daiseko to know what it is, apparently it is a sport of Gobi Nishiki. Which itself is quite rare because it is a very old variety from before satsuki were grown as bonsai.
In Japan, you may not even be able to just go out and buy a Gobi Nishiki, let alone Daikseko.
Any soil that works for azalea would work for layering roots. However, if you do not wound, it seems to be a slow process. You'd need at least two full growing seasons to get a decent amount of roots, so maybe 3 years to get a good amount.
And when you take it off, you may still need to remove some foliage to balance the layered roots and the leaves you have on there.
Probably, when you wound and use something like sphagnum moss, you will have better results. But you are also inflicting some harm and forcing it to happen artificially.
So the easiest way is to take a pot, split it open on one half of the pot, and fold it around a low branch near the soil, sticking the branch itself through a drainage hole. The position it so that rain will fall into the pot, so it doesn't get very dry
Then you fill up the pot with soil. And then you just wait. Then after 2 or 3 years, you just open it up and see if you have roots. If you have, you can cut off the branch.
I have never tried wounding and layering a way thicker branch or even part of a tree. There is a Japanese video on Youtube doing this, and I liked it on bonsainut somewhere.
In Japan, you may not even be able to just go out and buy a Gobi Nishiki, let alone Daikseko.
Any soil that works for azalea would work for layering roots. However, if you do not wound, it seems to be a slow process. You'd need at least two full growing seasons to get a decent amount of roots, so maybe 3 years to get a good amount.
And when you take it off, you may still need to remove some foliage to balance the layered roots and the leaves you have on there.
Probably, when you wound and use something like sphagnum moss, you will have better results. But you are also inflicting some harm and forcing it to happen artificially.
So the easiest way is to take a pot, split it open on one half of the pot, and fold it around a low branch near the soil, sticking the branch itself through a drainage hole. The position it so that rain will fall into the pot, so it doesn't get very dry
Then you fill up the pot with soil. And then you just wait. Then after 2 or 3 years, you just open it up and see if you have roots. If you have, you can cut off the branch.
I have never tried wounding and layering a way thicker branch or even part of a tree. There is a Japanese video on Youtube doing this, and I liked it on bonsainut somewhere.
Wow, I never knew this. Puts a lot more pressure on keeping it alive haha. Do you happen to have a link or something to where you found the information? I'd like to find out more about Gobi Nishiki. On this, do you have a specific website you use for researching cultivars of satsuki?
I've never tried ground layering before, only seen it before in a few horticulture books. There's quite a few suitable lower branches on the Dai-seiko which I might give it a go with, and I'll try an air-layer too to see how it responds. Will try and remember to post results!
Glaucus
Omono
For a resource, you either get the newest Japanese dictionary here:
Or you use the attacked file, created by Ray Beddow and edited by Masayasu 'Mack' Nishiyama.
The dictionary is actually all Japanese, except for the cultivar name. So you can look up 'Daiseiko', you won't learn anything except how it looks, unless you know how to convert the kanji of the parent into the Romanized name.
Additionally, the American Azalea Society has this database:
www.azaleas.org
However, there is a basically empty entry for 'Daiseiko', but there is also a 'Daiseko' record, which is also listed as a sport of Gobi Nishiki.
So they sell this plant in the US. So it is not that rare. Landscape satsuki in the US are actually different from satsuki used as bonsai in Japan.
However, I see the flower shape of the Daiseiko listed on ASA website is not correct. Which may mean that all US-sourced Daiseiko reversed to normal flower shape. And they started calling it 'Daiseko' at some point (the same error I made in my previous post).
It seems White's Nursery in the US was selling it under that name.
If you google these names, you won't find all too much.
You could also try to search with the Japanese characters, but for Daiseiko 大星光 it doesn't show up even a single picture, as it seems this variety is mainly still in the Japanese dictionary as a reference.
This is one of these satsuki that is way easier to find in the US (and apparently the UK) than in Japan.
For the original form, Gobi Nishiki, there is this Japanese website with some pictures:
Or you use the attacked file, created by Ray Beddow and edited by Masayasu 'Mack' Nishiyama.
The dictionary is actually all Japanese, except for the cultivar name. So you can look up 'Daiseiko', you won't learn anything except how it looks, unless you know how to convert the kanji of the parent into the Romanized name.
Additionally, the American Azalea Society has this database:
searchable azalea database
This searchable azalea database has more than 11,000 entries--Many entries have photos in addition to growth and cultural information.
www.azaleas.org
However, there is a basically empty entry for 'Daiseiko', but there is also a 'Daiseko' record, which is also listed as a sport of Gobi Nishiki.
So they sell this plant in the US. So it is not that rare. Landscape satsuki in the US are actually different from satsuki used as bonsai in Japan.
However, I see the flower shape of the Daiseiko listed on ASA website is not correct. Which may mean that all US-sourced Daiseiko reversed to normal flower shape. And they started calling it 'Daiseko' at some point (the same error I made in my previous post).
It seems White's Nursery in the US was selling it under that name.
If you google these names, you won't find all too much.
You could also try to search with the Japanese characters, but for Daiseiko 大星光 it doesn't show up even a single picture, as it seems this variety is mainly still in the Japanese dictionary as a reference.
This is one of these satsuki that is way easier to find in the US (and apparently the UK) than in Japan.
For the original form, Gobi Nishiki, there is this Japanese website with some pictures:
護美錦(2) - 皐月の花・専科
9日に運転免許更新のための高齢者講習会に行って来ました。更新は来年なのですが予約の時に普通は2ヶ月待ちだけどキャンセルの空きがあるとのことで申し込んでしまいました。やる気の無い講師の改正法規の解説、動態と夜間の視力検査、安っぽい装置での運転適性検査、ガタが来ている古い車でコース内を運転、と3時間をかけて修了書を頂いて終わりでした。更新時に修了書は必要だけど結果は関係ないので何のためなのか良く分りません。これで5600円は高いなー。次の更新では75歳を超えるので認知機能検査が加わるそうです。高齢者の事故がこれだけ報道されるとマー仕方ないですね。・・・・・・・・・・品種のリンク集は・・・こち...
blog.goo.ne.jp
And another! (Three more coming this week or next too...).
This one is Kanumanokagayaki. Out of all of the Satsuki I own, this might be my favourite. I haven't seen it in flower yet, but from images I've seen online the large white flowers with red dusting is absolutely beautiful. There's a few flower buds close to opening in a few days.
This one came from Fred Mercer at Bonsai Southwest, who I've bought three small satsuki from before, which are doing great. This one in particular is a bit larger than the rest, grown out in a whip style. I'm not sure what I'll go for, but the currently styling leans towards an S-shape, which isn't particularly my favourite. I may leave it to grow in this way and develop it further, but I'll be sure to take many cuttings from it.
This is what the flowers look like for this particular cultivar.
And, as a little extra, I got this free with my order. Never used something like this before, but the instructions say to leave it in the soil until it completely drains. I may use it on the Kanumanokagayaki, or maybe err on the side of caution and use it on something a bit bigger to see the results.
rapax24
Sapling
Hey Keifen, did you go in person or buy online? I had a look at the koirin azalea centre catalog but I couldn't see the dai-seiko variety or any other cultivar that came back as satsuki on a quick Google search.
They don't post an up-to-date catalog on their website, so you have to email them. They'll send you an invoice and after that everything's very easy. Last time I checked, they have the varieties: Dai-seiko, Midori, Shinkyo, Komei and Nachi-no-Tsuki available in 4L with some more 2L in autumn. Lovely people to buy from.
rapax24
Sapling
Thank you very much 'i'll contact them. I am looking for something substantial to chop and grow from scratch but nurseries around here seem to only have full size rhododendrons or other hardier varieties
The 4L plants from Koirin are quite big, so they're definitely great to work with. I haven't really had a close look at the trunk though since I intend to use mine purely for propagation and looks. It's hard to come by any nursery sized Satsuki here, and I only know about Koirin growing them as such. Most of my younger plants either come from Fred Mercer at Plymouth Bonsai or sellers on ebay. Hope this helps.
rapax24
Sapling
Thank you, too kind. You were talking about buying some from abroad.
I am not sure if bonsai plaza still ships to the UK but mini satsuki does. They can provide the phytosanitary certificate for 15 additional euros per parcel. They said they have done a few so far and it takes a couple of weeks but they have arrived fine. The customs might add additional fees on our side but I am not sure whether that depends on the vat duties or for the controls on the plants.
I have placed an order for a few seedlings from them. I'll let you know the details when the plants arrive if you are interested.
I am not sure if bonsai plaza still ships to the UK but mini satsuki does. They can provide the phytosanitary certificate for 15 additional euros per parcel. They said they have done a few so far and it takes a couple of weeks but they have arrived fine. The customs might add additional fees on our side but I am not sure whether that depends on the vat duties or for the controls on the plants.
I have placed an order for a few seedlings from them. I'll let you know the details when the plants arrive if you are interested.
Yeah, unfortunately Bonsai Plaza does not shop to the UK anymore. I was quite suspicious that the delivery charge only seemed to be £14 or so and Glaucus did mention it too. I got a full refund for those trees.
I have been looking at placing an order from MiniSatsuki for a while now. They’ve got 26 pages of satsuki which is a dream, and some of them are a lot better priced than here for their size. The only thing that’s putting me off is the delivery charge, but it’s completely fair.
It’d be great to know any details when they arrive. Which cultivars did you get?
rapax24
Sapling
A few to make it worth the shipping.
Osakazuki
Asahi no izumi
Kobai
Megumi
Senbazuru
Hope they arrive in good shape
Osakazuki
Asahi no izumi
Kobai
Megumi
Senbazuru
Hope they arrive in good shape
Those are some nice varieties. I particularly like Asahi-no-Izumi. I actually just bought a Kinsai and Kaho off Ebay tonight, which I've been searching for ages for. If you'd ever like to trade some cuttings, let me know!
A 2 year old cutting of Kinsai. I've been searching for a Kinsai for quite a while now, so it's good to finally have my hands on one. I've heard that it's a vigorous cultivar, so I hope it lives up to it's name. I actually decided to make a cross of this with Senbazuru, which will hopefully result in some interesting offspring.
A 2 year old cutting of Kaho. I really like the flower shape on these because of their ruffles. From a brief look over, I think it may have already flowered and had the ovules removed, unless the flower buds were pruned off last year.
An Asuka. I already have one, but the movement in this one was quite nice, so I picked it up.
I thought that I'd showcase some of the flowers since they all seem to be coming out now. Unfortunately a thunderstorm came along a few hours after these pictures were taken, so this may have been the peak unfortunately.
A Shinnyo-no-Tsuki purchased last year. The growth is very compact and it seems to flower later than the others. The flowers are quite pleasant and they all seemed to be quite intact until the thunderstorm came along. The white centres of the flower are quite nice to see.
Now I'm not sure on what this azalea actually is. @Glaucus, you mentioned it could be a North Tisbury azalea, maybe it's easier to identify now with the flowers? I really didn't expect anything special from this azalea as I thought it'd simply be plain pink flowers, but it turns out it actually has some really lovely colours. It doesn't seem to be the most vigorous grower but it was repotted from quite a tight pot with a compacted rootball this year, so maybe I'll just have to give it time.
A nice flower of 'Gin-no-Suzu'. Unfortunately the rest were quite browned, but it has pinkish flowers as well which are quite nice. I really like the flower shape.
This one is 'Hanatsuzuri' I'm pretty sure. While I did think that the flowers would be lovely when I first picked this cultivar up, I never thought they'd be this amazing. The first flower I saw was the top left, pure red flower. It's a lot more of a deeper red than the picture shows, and it was absolutely striking. The flowers are quite big and there seems to be many different patterns, with the number of petals varying too. I think this cultivar may definitely be one of my favourites.
'Daiseiko'. This flower is actually very similar to the the flower on Hanatsuzuri above which is quite nice. It's also similar to the Glenn Dale 'Surprise'. This particular plant was infested with aphids not that long ago, but I seemed to have been able to get rid of them quite well and now the plant is flowering beautifully.
Also, I finally got a bonsai bench. I thought that I'd put all of my satsuki on there, but it turns out there's still not enough space for them all. May have to get one or two more... An accent plant and a firethorn may have slipped past too because I thought they complimented the rest quite well. I probably should have varnished it before putting all of the trees on there, but I'll get around to that soon to make sure the wood doesn't rot. The only problem I may have is the sun being a bit too direct, so I may have to install some kind of shade netting setup for the bench - especially when it gets a lot hotter. Temperatures are already reaching around 24C with full sun. I dread the 30C and above.
A Shinnyo-no-Tsuki purchased last year. The growth is very compact and it seems to flower later than the others. The flowers are quite pleasant and they all seemed to be quite intact until the thunderstorm came along. The white centres of the flower are quite nice to see.
Now I'm not sure on what this azalea actually is. @Glaucus, you mentioned it could be a North Tisbury azalea, maybe it's easier to identify now with the flowers? I really didn't expect anything special from this azalea as I thought it'd simply be plain pink flowers, but it turns out it actually has some really lovely colours. It doesn't seem to be the most vigorous grower but it was repotted from quite a tight pot with a compacted rootball this year, so maybe I'll just have to give it time.
A nice flower of 'Gin-no-Suzu'. Unfortunately the rest were quite browned, but it has pinkish flowers as well which are quite nice. I really like the flower shape.
This one is 'Hanatsuzuri' I'm pretty sure. While I did think that the flowers would be lovely when I first picked this cultivar up, I never thought they'd be this amazing. The first flower I saw was the top left, pure red flower. It's a lot more of a deeper red than the picture shows, and it was absolutely striking. The flowers are quite big and there seems to be many different patterns, with the number of petals varying too. I think this cultivar may definitely be one of my favourites.
'Daiseiko'. This flower is actually very similar to the the flower on Hanatsuzuri above which is quite nice. It's also similar to the Glenn Dale 'Surprise'. This particular plant was infested with aphids not that long ago, but I seemed to have been able to get rid of them quite well and now the plant is flowering beautifully.
Also, I finally got a bonsai bench. I thought that I'd put all of my satsuki on there, but it turns out there's still not enough space for them all. May have to get one or two more... An accent plant and a firethorn may have slipped past too because I thought they complimented the rest quite well. I probably should have varnished it before putting all of the trees on there, but I'll get around to that soon to make sure the wood doesn't rot. The only problem I may have is the sun being a bit too direct, so I may have to install some kind of shade netting setup for the bench - especially when it gets a lot hotter. Temperatures are already reaching around 24C with full sun. I dread the 30C and above.
Similar threads
- Deleted member 47471
- Junipers
