First time shaping a tree..Azalea. How'd I do?

[Chub]

Bought this azalea at Lowes 2 years ago. Put in a box and let it grow out a couple years. Finally got up the nerve to cut it back and "style" it a few weeks ago. Probably could have cut back further on the branches but was hesitant to cut back too far. It's already starting to put out new growth. Tree is about 12 inches tall. Any suggestions?

 

[KennedyMarx]

It looks healthy, but too tall for the thickness of the trunk. Assuming that you're growing it out, since it is in a grow box, I wouldn't cut anything else off and just let it grow out to thicken.

 

[Harunobu]

Haven't seen many pictures of deciduous azaleas online. You are pretty much in pioneering.

The plant habit of these plants is much more open, elongated, large leaves, etc.

 

[0soyoung]

Though deciduous azaleas tend to have longer internodes, a new sprout can potentially develop anywhere there is an eye (where a leaf was some time ago). Set them in the sun and prune much as you would any deciduous tree and you can eventually make them just about any size (smaller) and as dense as you would like. The catch-22 is that the leaf size doesn't reduce. But it is hard to find more beautiful flowers than on deciduous azaleas!

Enkianthus is similar - if you let it go, you get a tall lanky shrub with long internodes that will eventually look like a tree. If you chop it back or shear it you can have a dense twiggy hedge structure to work with.

I suggest you enjoy them in your lanscape if you are 'growing them out' - they are pretty slow to 'thicken up'. Here's a pic of a deciduous azalea that has been in my yard for well over ten years that I dug out last September (the tub is 2 feet across and about 6 inches deep). I'm now starting to work it down into a bonsai.

 

[the bonsai kid]

Beautiful trees Im working on a deciduous azalea that's coming along pretty good.

 

[Chub]

Coming back in nicely.....And thx for all the input.

 

[Dirty Nails]

With garden center azaleas in the ground they say shade is good but I have found they get very leggy in shade. Let them have full sun and they get nice and full

 

[Nybonsai12]

With garden center azaleas in the ground they say shade is good but I have found they get very leggy in shade. Let them have full sun and they get nice and full

Yup! Not a bonsai, but much nicer fuller than my azalea in the shade.

 

[Chub]

With garden center azaleas in the ground they say shade is good but I have found they get very leggy in shade. Let them have full sun and they get nice and full

Yep I've kept it in the shade since I bought it. This spring it got full sun, did much better.