Large Azalea twin trunk

[Mitchell]

Have been eyeing this twin trunk azalea, for the last 6 years growing in the vacant lot next door. I spoke with the owner and the house was due to be demolished this year. For the last two years I have gradually been digging around it and filling it with aerated medium. Tonight I finally freed it after some blood sweat and almost tears.

It was cropped back to about 60cm high, a year ago by gardeners. The base is 17cm across, some it buried in the shot.

Not sure if this plant has any possibilities as a bonsai. Obviously it needs to be cut back again, still trying to think what could be done.
For the near future though it will be just re-couping from the dig.

Can you see anything in this plant? Am I just wasting my time, with the intentions of bonsai?
Would like to hear your thoughts, i'll just plant it in my yard if you think it is rubbish.

[Jamie]

you sure it is an azalea? the bark looks pretty rough. it definately has some options, just getting the best out of it is the hard part, let it recover for a year or so and then see how it goes, you will need to cut back quite low to get rid of the straight sections of trunk mate.

[Mitchell]

you sure it is an azalea? the bark looks pretty rough. it definately has some options, just getting the best out of it is the hard part, let it recover for a year or so and then see how it goes, you will need to cut back quite low to get rid of the straight sections of trunk mate.

About 95% sure. Those trunk would have been about 2m long when last chopped back. It is actually part of a large bush, this segment had semi-detached and was still growing. it is positioned down the side of their house, with a path next to it. The owner believe the bush was part of the original house garden. The house I believe was being looked at for heritage listing, hence the hold up on development. i would imagine this bush has been continually cut back to allow access up the path since the earily / mid 1900's. Could have been planted much later though. the entire base of the bush was close to a meter wide.

That could account for the very rough bark at the base. The left trunk and rest of the plant are baby smooth, just the base that is rough. I would imagine in that gardens glory days there would have been mulch and soil piled higher up the trunk, since then compressing down. It still had soil above where I do now, the first roots were quite far under the surface.


I wasn't too sure about the straightness either, definatley a chop back, not sure I could establish taper at any significant height. Maybe chop it back to 15cm high and rely on that taper in the base section...

Good to hear you think there might be something atleast.... just not sure what yet.

[Jamie]

if you chop it to 15cm it will definately have something going for it, i dont know if a twin trunk will be the way to go but you will find something in it later down the track, right now the concern is the after care and making sure it survives, superthrive and seasol for a while and keep it in the shade.

[Hawaiian77]

IMHO, After it gets healthy and strong I would lose the twin branch cut it back hard almost like a sumo and grow it like these examples.

-Tim

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[dayne]

yeah id do the same loose the second go a single sumo have you seen the one in kimuras book the magician he cuts it back hard and goes a sumo regrows it back in about 6 years but we have a better growing period here

[Mitchell]

IMHO, After it gets healthy and strong I would lose the twin branch cut it back hard almost like a sumo and grow it like these examples.

-Tim

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Yes that is what I had pictured in my head. Chop it back and cover up with a big nice soft apex....

As apposed to chooping the left off even though it is smaller, what about chopping the right one, then rotating the root ball position so the left branch is upright?
Might not by the strongest trunkline now like that, but it will be some impressive tapering to the nebari that way. I'm sure most would say chop the left... but... could I create a stronger trunkline in say 6 year utilising the left?

Thoughts anyone?

[sreeve]

Hi Mitchell – nice “find” mate.

I wonder whether this is an azalea or one of the other 6 Rhododendron species (I think there are 8 from memory). Do you have a close up of either flower or leaves (before its haircut )

Not sure where you are in Sydney but I have seen some of these in the older areas of the northern suburbs and they are spectacular.

Either way it’s going to be a really nice tree.

I think to get the best out of this it is going to need some more surgery as others have suggested.

Something to think about might be whether you take a couple of years to trim it back. From my experience if it is done in one hit, you have a fair chance that all roots will survive – equally you have a fair chance that some of the roots will die back – which means you get dead section on the lower trunk.

Another option might be to cut it back some more and allow some stubs to grow for a year or so all around it. This may help the root ball survive, in which case you can give the final haircut in a year or two.

No matter your final decision, I look forward to the progression.

Regards
Steve

[Mitchell]

Hi Mitchell – nice “find” mate.

I wonder whether this is an azalea or one of the other 6 Rhododendron species (I think there are 8 from memory). Do you have a close up of either flower or leaves (before its haircut )

Not sure where you are in Sydney but I have seen some of these in the older areas of the northern suburbs and they are spectacular.

Either way it’s going to be a really nice tree.

I think to get the best out of this it is going to need some more surgery as others have suggested.

Something to think about might be whether you take a couple of years to trim it back. From my experience if it is done in one hit, you have a fair chance that all roots will survive – equally you have a fair chance that some of the roots will die back – which means you get dead section on the lower trunk.

Another option might be to cut it back some more and allow some stubs to grow for a year or so all around it. This may help the root ball survive, in which case you can give the final haircut in a year or two.

No matter your final decision, I look forward to the progression.

Regards
Steve

I could be wrong, it may be something else. I'll take a close-up of the leaves.

I'm in Beecroft (northern Suburbs) , so it could be what you were thinking.

For now I will concentrate on keeping it alive.

[Mitchell]

Hmmmm, Azalea or not? Any ideas?

After thinking, perhaps it is a Rhododendron, I have never actually paid great attention to the flowers, don't even now what colour they are.
Is there any way for me to determine what it is?

Leaves, large ones are 6cm long...

[MattA]

Great score Mitchell.. Urban yamadori at its finest, the rough texture of the bark indicates its great age, your estimates wouldnt be far out. If not 1900 sometime during the 1920's when sydney experienced a boom & people where prosperous enough to plant an ornamental garden.

I agree with Steve, I would look to cut those trunks down by atleast half, even as much as 3/4 Azaleas thrive after a real good shortening, hence why they are used extensively in many places for hedging etc. In my opinion while you leave it all long it has no incentive to shoot back and its also expending alot of energy trying to keep those tips alive. That energy could be better directed into lots of new shoots close into the base.

Matt

[Mitchell]

Great score Mitchell.. Urban yamadori at its finest, the rough texture of the bark indicates its great age, your estimates wouldnt be far out. If not 1900 sometime during the 1920's when sydney experienced a boom & people where prosperous enough to plant an ornamental garden.

I agree with Steve, I would look to cut those trunks down by atleast half, even as much as 3/4 Azaleas thrive after a real good shortening, hence why they are used extensively in many places for hedging etc. In my opinion while you leave it all long it has no incentive to shoot back and its also expending alot of energy trying to keep those tips alive. That energy could be better directed into lots of new shoots close into the base.

Matt

From your comment I am assuming you are saying cut it back now. I intend to cut it right down, but thought I should wait till it re-coups. Are you saying it is expending energy right now, trying to keep the shoots alive.... Should I cut it back now or wait ...?

[MattA]

In my opinion I would go the whole hog now then all the energy it expends is on creating new buds & roots that you will keep. Its my general collecting routine, reduce the material to the core of whatever is needed for recovery & future styling.
You have timed it well as all the rhododendron family put on a burst of growth over autumn, it is heat more than cold that affects there growth in our climate.

[sreeve]

Hi Mitchell
It is hard to tell with the leaf only – I will have a look later at the books I have and see if I can identify it with certainty, although the leaf size does make me think it might be one of the other Rhodý species. However, as I said before, it’s a beauty.

With respect to cutting back – I think your biggest risk is the LHS of the root base. I fear that if you cut back too hard on the LH trunk you may risk losing the lower root area and the rotten things wont grow back again in a dead root base area……

Personally I would consider leaving the LHS for a year and cutting back to the red line.

You may be a bit more gutsy and cut back to the blue lines, but again I fear the loss of root base in the area marked in yellow.

As for its final shape / height, I could see a further significant cut back way down low, but after shoots have popped out and will keep the root base alive – maybe a year or so.

Good luck with it

Regards
Steve

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[Mitchell]

In my opinion I would go the whole hog now then all the energy it expends is on creating new buds & roots that you will keep. Its my general collecting routine, reduce the material to the core of whatever is needed for recovery & future styling.
You have timed it well as all the rhododendron family put on a burst of growth over autumn, it is heat more than cold that affects there growth in our climate.

I didn't touch quite a few of the shoots, as I thought someone might comment and say I shouldn't have chopped them due to a design aspect.

Do you grow any Azaleas/Rhododendron's? Your advice sounds sound, yet a few others are saying re-coup first... decisions, decisions.