A very interesting article by Trevor McComb on the Azalea Interest Group Melbourne & Bonsai Art Facebook site - you can see many of these specimens at the show
https://www.facebook.com/Bonsai-Art-Nur ... 8/?fref=nf
WHEN SATSUKI ARE NOT SATSUKI!
At least a year ago, whilst in conversation with fellow Satsuki enthusiasts, a proposition was voiced that “There are bonsai enthusiasts, including club members, who do not know what Satsuki are”
Some credibility to this statement was given at the recent Vic Bonsai Club annual exhibition (5&6th Oct, Box Hill) .I’m reliably informed that in the sales area, some lovely little Kurume azaleas were clearly labelled as Satsuki. Gasp!
Whilst I am not an expert in the field of Azaleas, I will, in the interest of educating and maybe a little Satsuki promotion, attempt to explain, What is Satsuki?
Azaleas belong to a huge and diverse family of shrubs that grow all over the world from Europe, North America and even Australia all falling under the Genus Rhododendron.
Most of the well-known cultivated Azaleas species come from China, The Himalayas and Japan .Accurately grouping the many and diverse species of this genus could be the source of much argument. For my own personal understanding, I break them up into 4 main groups as follows-
The Mollis , The Indicas ,The Kurumes , & The Satsuki
The Mollis group are the deciduous azaleas, they flower before the new leaf growth appears in spring.
The Indicas are the most widely known and grown group. They have long been popular garden shrubs being the main group to originally be imported to the western world. The Indicas are generally the largest in flower, leaf and overall bush size. They can flower from early winter through to their main peak in spring
The Kurumes are small, bushy, naturally occurring Japanese hybrids with mostly small flowers that bloom throughout the spring. Often grown by azalea nurseries for the chain store market.
Specialist Azalea nurseries have mainly grown Indica’s and Kurume’s with the exception being Gumpos which belong in the Satsuki group.
Both Indica’s & Kurume’s can both be styled as bonsai and in particular there are many well-known impressive Kurume bonsai.
However, overwhelmingly the most popular group for bonsai styling are the Satsuki and for very good reason.
The Satsuki group differ from the other azaleas groups in a number of ways. The name Satsuki refers to the 5th month in Japan when the Satsuki flower (this is after the Indica’s & Kurume’s have finished) which is from Late Spring through to early summer. Satsuki have been bred since the 1600’s and there are believed to be over 3000 varieties. Flower size varies enormously but it is the Satsuki’s ability to have many colour variations on the one plant that really distinguishes them from other azalea groups. As a Satsuki ages the variation can increase and it is not uncommon to have white, red and pink at the same time. Different flower shapes can also be found on the same plant. Satsuki have a great ability to bud almost anywhere on old wood and so can be cut back very hard. They also have two main flushes of growth. The first is before flowering and the second is after flowering. This is another major distinguishing fact of the Satsuki group. Indicas and Kurumes have only one main flush of growth, which is after flowering.
The Satsuki are so popular for bonsai in Japan they have their own dedicated Satsuki bonsai shows and Satsuki magazine.
I hope this clears up some confusion between the groups.
For more information on Satsuki, The Victorian Satsuki interest Group is having an exhibition at Bonsai Art Nursery on the weekend of 5 & 6th of November.Its free admission and all are welcome.
Bonsai Art Nursery has been growing Satsuki azaleas for over 25 years and stocks over 40 varieties , many new to Australia. The one pictured is “Asazakura” one of the earliest varieties to flower.
Happy growing
Trevor
Another BIG EVENT - The VIC Satsuki Interest Group is holding its
a stunning display of the most beautiful colors and shapes of flowers 
