Saotome azalea

[Albo]

I got this into a bonsai pot last autumn and had taken off a couple of large unwanted branches. I have just let it go unchecked until today. It went nuts as soon as the weather started to warm up so figured it was healthy enough for some branch selection and rough styling.
I’d ultimately like to squeeze this down into a smaller pot.
It’s got a nice base.

[TimIAm]

Looks to be very happy at your place. Should develop into something very nice

[Albo]

I’ve been working on this Saotome for an about a year.
I’m happy with its development so far.

[shibui]

Sao To Me seems to thicken quicker than many other Azaleas I've grown. Easy to shape by clip and grow. I'm enjoying working with the ones I have here too.

[Albo]

I really like them. They take root and foliage reduction really well, have nice little leaves, strike from cuttings easily and develop great nebari on their own.
Nearly every bonsai nursery in Sydney seems to have older stock as well.
They all have gangly branches to begin with but you just pick the main structural branches and cut back to those. They will shoot out around those cut sites.
They do get brittle though once branch’s reach a couple mil thick. If wiring, branch’s need to be done fairly early. I’ve broken a lot of branches. But new shoots grow so quickly it doesn’t matter for long.
Clip and grow as you say Neil is the go.
I’m going to keep at them. I’ve got about 20 cuttings from last year, gonna see how quickly I can develop them this growing season. Might put some in the ground, some in pots and might even try doing some trunk fusion.
See what happens.