A Detailed Guide to Making Azalea Bonsai with Picture Appreciation
Azalea belongs to the genus Rhododendron in the family Ericaceae, a deciduous or semi-evergreen shrub with many and relatively slender branches, densely covered with yellow-brown appressed stiff hairs; leaves are simple and alternate, often clustered at the branch tips, ovate-elliptic or obovate, with stiff hairs on both sides, blooming rose-red flowers from March to May, with funnel-shaped corollas, 2 to 6 flowers clustered at the branch tips. When in full bloom, the whole tree is covered with red flowers, brilliant as brocade, making it an excellent bonsai flowering plant.
Common Species of Azalea
1. Yangzhizhu, also known as Naoyanghua or yellow azalea, is a deciduous shrub. Its leaves are long-elliptic and densely covered with soft hairs; it blooms from April to May, with golden-yellow, bell-shaped or funnel-shaped flowers, very beautiful.
2. Maobai azalea is a semi-evergreen shrub. Its branches are relatively stout, and its leaves are lanceolate; the flowers are white, 3 to 4 clustered at the branch tips, double-petaled, with large flower types, and the tree has vigorous growth.
3. Manshanhong is a deciduous shrub. Its leaves are ovate, often 2 to 3 clustered at the branch tips; the flowers are usually paired and terminal, opening before the leaves, with funnel-shaped corollas, rose-red. It is produced south of the Yangtze River basin and in Taiwan, China, and other places.
4. Shiyan azalea, also known as Zhusha azalea, is an evergreen shrub. It is sometimes prostrate, with many and dense branches; its leaves are elliptic or obovate, glossy on the surface; the flowers are 2 to 3 terminal, funnel-shaped, deep orange-red.
5. Mayinhua is an evergreen shrub. Its leaves are ovate or elliptic-ovate, dark green and glossy on the surface; the flowers are solitary, purple-white, with pink spots, and the corolla is funnel-shaped, deeply cleft near the base.
6. Jijiao azalea is an evergreen shrub. It often has 3 whorled branches, with leaves clustered at the branch tips, leathery, ovate-elliptic, glossy on the surface; the flowers are solitary in the leaf axils, often clustered at the branch tips, pink; both flower buds and leaf buds are purplish-red.
7. Yunjin azalea, also known as Tianmu azalea, is an evergreen shrub. Its branches are stout and smooth; its leaves are long-elliptic, leathery, bright green and glossy on the surface; the flowers are large and fragrant, rose-red, in terminal umbellate racemes, with 6 to 12 flowers. It is produced in Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, and other provinces.
8. White azalea is a deciduous shrub. Its branches are dense, its leaves are ovate-elliptic, densely covered with stiff hairs on the underside, dark green on the surface; the flowers are white or slightly tinged with pale red.
Growing Environment of Azalea
Azalea is widely distributed in the provinces of the Yangtze River basin and the Pearl River basin, extending west to Yunnan and Guizhou, and is the most common tree species in acidic soil mountainous areas.
Azalea likes light and prefers a cool and moist climate. It requires acidic soil with a pH value of 4 to 5, and neither calcareous soil nor clayey soil is suitable for its growth. It dislikes scorching sun exposure and is not tolerant of waterlogging, but attention must be paid to drought prevention and moisture retention.
Propagation Methods of Azalea
Azalea can be propagated by sowing, cuttings, grafting, division, and other methods. Generally, cuttings are the main method, as the procedure is simple and flowering is also fast. The best time for cuttings is during the plum rain season. The cuttings use current-year branches; after new buds have formed, cut them off at the base for cuttings, which root most easily. If old branches from the previous year are used as cuttings, rooting is more difficult. For azalea cuttings, the seedbed soil should use acidic mountain soil or sun-dried, weathered pond mud or leaf mold; cutting in mountain soil placed in a wooden frame is also acceptable.
For precious azalea varieties, to ensure survival, the cut end can be wrapped in moss to form a ball shape, inserted into the soil to a depth of about 3 to 4 cm, which makes rooting easier. After insertion, a shade frame should be built, and water should be sprayed several times a day to keep the seedbed moist. After about 2 to 3 weeks, the cut end will gradually heal and take root, and after the cuttings have rooted, the light exposure time can be increased. After about 2 months, diluted cake fertilizer water can be applied to promote growth. In the following spring, they can be potted.
For propagation by sowing, seeds can be sown in wooden frames or clay pots. The bottom of the pot should be lined with vermiculite or leaves to facilitate drainage. Mountain soil or leaf mold mixed with an appropriate amount of sandy soil is placed in the pot, level with the pot rim (slightly lower than the pot rim), then a layer of fine soil is sifted over it, and the seeds are sown on top without further covering with soil. Glass is placed over it, preferably lined with newspaper, to maintain moisture. After about 3 to 4 weeks, they will germinate and emerge. At this time, the glass cover should be removed to receive light, and water should be sprayed appropriately. When the seedlings have 3 to 4 leaves, they should be transplanted.
Making Azalea Bonsai
1. Pot selection: Azaleas generally use slightly deep oval, rectangular, or round pots, and the material can be purple clay pottery or glazed pottery. The color of the pot should preferably be darker, forming a contrast with the flower color, and it is best not to have floral decorations on the pot. For cascade-style azaleas, a deep cylinder pot can be used; for exposed-root-style azaleas, a slightly shallow oval pot can be used.
2. Soil: Azaleas are suitable for fertile and loose leaf mold or mountain soil from pine forests. For pot cultivation, sun-dried, freeze-loosened pond mud or paddy field soil mixed with an appropriate amount of sandy soil is also commonly used.
3. Planting: They can be potted in early spring or after the flowers fall. If digging up wild tree stumps from mountain areas, because the roots have mycorrhizae, they need to be planted with the original soil. When planting, the taproot can be cut shorter, and chicken manure or soybean cake can be placed at the bottom of the pot as base fertilizer. The branches and leaves should also be pruned as appropriate.
Shaping Azalea Bonsai
1. Processing: After azalea seedlings are potted, processing can generally begin in 3 to 4 years. Azalea branches are relatively brittle, so excessive wiring is not suitable; only the trunk and main branches should be given appropriate shaping, and palm fiber is better for binding. Other branches are shaped by pruning. When pruning, attention must be paid to adjusting strong and weak branches: strong branches should be heavily pruned, and weak branches lightly pruned. Binding is generally carried out in spring, when the branches and trunk are relatively soft during the growing season and easy to bend.
2. Tree forms: Common tree forms of azalea include the straight-trunk type, curved-trunk type, and slanting-trunk type, and they can also be processed into exposed-root style, cascade style, rock-clinging style, connected-root style, and so on. Through artistic shaping, a beautiful bonsai is achieved that combines flower viewing, trunk appreciation, root viewing, and form evaluation.
Azalea Bonsai Pictures
Azalea Bonsai Pictures
Azalea Bonsai Pictures