Azalea, Five year Progression

Azaleas picked up while on a run, 2014

by Michael Rusnak

One of my favorite things about the art of bonsai is how you can create something out of nothing. A tree headed for the shredder or landfill, can get a whole new life as a bonsai.

Even better is the process.  Although it may take five to ten years to become a presentable tree, it gives you a lot to cheer about along the way. Let me show you how many cheers this clump of azaleas has given me.

Clump as picked up, 2014

I was out for a run one spring morning in 2014. I spotted this over grown, bug damaged azalea clump.  It had been dug out by a neighbor and left on the curb for the trash.  There were some interesting shapes along its base, and when I picked it up, it broke into two main pieces.  So I brought them home to see if I could get them to live in a pot.  Both sections pulled apart into several plants.  Unfortunately, the largest one which had a trunk nearly as thick as my wrist and was full of ripples and movement had a lot of damage where it was removed, and did not survive.

Now three tree grove in 2016

The other sections survived. One was a clumped together and formed a sort of three tree grove.  Two other small sections survived.

Something to cheer about, 2016

Over that summer, and the following summer of 2015, the trees began to get back their strength.  In the spring of 2016, now only two years after being toss out for the trash, being potted up, cut back and responding, all three must have been happy and tossed out some blossoms from its sparse foliage, which can be seen in the photos.

May 2018

This variety of azalea, whatever it is,  has an unusual flower.  They almost look like roses when they come out. But already I think the fun of developing a piece of trash into a bonsai is obvious with these plants.

In order to achieve proportion and also ramification in the branching, they need cut back each season.  I let them grow wild all summer, and because I like the blossomes so much, I've waited to prune them.  In any case, the process of letting it grow out and then cutting back the next season seems to be working for them.

Azalea grove, May 2019

Small azaleas May 2019

It will take more seasons, but I think they are getting better and better. And we will see how they improve a few more years down the line.
But in any case, during this long process, they give you bunches of things to cheer about. That is what makes bonsai such a great art. 
Check out a 360 of the azalea on our youtube channel at this link.