Styling advice needed for azalea.

[Gerard]

Six months ago I dug 4 kurume azaleas, var. 'kirin'.
All have a nice shallow root mass and are looking happy but the time has come to make some decisions about design.

Kirin 1 001.jpg

Kirin 1 003.jpg

Kirin 1 006.jpg

Kirin 1 007.jpg

I see a few options but I have little experience with azalea design.
Do I go with a short clump?
Perhaps a taller clump?
Perhaps keep some of the longer branches in pic 1, and work with the nice movement to the right?
Other ideas?

[Gerard]

Does anyone have any ideas for tree 2?

Kirin 2a.jpg

Kirin 2b.jpg

Kirin 2c.jpg

[kcpoole]

the first one I do not this will make a great clump as the branches come from too far above the soil

Me thinking along the lines of a hard cut back and making a small tree from it, It looks like there is good taper to the low branches / trunks that you could use

the second one woud make a fine clump to me . the lowest left trunk to a low pad on the left with the other trunks getting taller to make an overall rounded outline

Maybe the left one can extend out quite a way in the final design?

Ken

[Damian Bee]

Hi Gerrard,

Are you thinking of cutting back now? (This week?)
If so, I reckon it is worth waiting until spring before you let the cutters loose as you only dug them up in August or so.
Hey, how come you didn't tell us about these in your thread about not bringing home a tree since? (cant remember the date).
They look very nice indeed, have you thought of a Bunjin for the first one? (Just putting it out there). Perhaps windswept with its long horizontals?
I do like the curves in the trunks on the second one. Hey, didn't you say you collected 4?
The 3rd pic of the second one is a good looking angle.

[Gerard]

Hi Damian,
Workshop at BSV tonight, I have been thinking windswept for the first one but not sure it works with azaleas. I will have to look up some examples.
All four are a bit similar to each other (they were a hedge) at dig time were pruned very hard and recovery has been strong. Roots are dense and fibrous and I do not feel that styling is premature.
As for my bonsaiaholic problem....... digs do not count.

[GavinG]

Some azalea bases can be quite gnarly or vein-y but you need to cut a LOT off the top to focus attention close in. I'd certainly leave it to spring, and be ruthless about selecting shoots early. They may take a while or a bit of length to thicken. I don't think windswept suits azaleas.

With the second one, the base is good but the trunks don't do anything after that - once again, possibly cut hard (?in stages so you know where the shoots are coming) and build a whole new, low, tight, dense structure.

Just my two bobs,

Gavin

[Gerard]

Have done a rough style on all 4 trees, different approach to each so a good learning experience here are the pics.

Kirin 1 001.jpg

kirin after 001.jpg

Kirin 2a.jpg

kirin after 002.jpg

clump

Kirin 3a.jpg

kirin after 003.jpg

triple trunk

Kirin 4a.jpg

kirin after 004.jpg

twin trunk