Rhododendron Bonsai

[Underdog]

Busy day but tomorrow I'll help more. Close up of the trunk? Is it two plants? what's up with the low left side?

 

[Leprous Garden]

The average garden rhodie is not a great subject for bonsai for the reasons others have laid out. That said there are many many species worldwide and many hybrids as well. At the nursery I work at we sell a number of more compact types with smaller leaves: purple gem, myrtifolium and of course PJM. These have better attributes for bonsai.

The issue of backbudding is tricky. My experience pruning garden rhodies is that bare branches are unlikely to bud, but PJMs seem much more amenable to it. Still, it's maybe 50/50.

Yours has a very fun trunk but I agree it probably needs significant work to be a "great" bonsai. Maybe use the current trunks as inspiration but regrow from the new shoots? I would think wiring would also be tricky with these. But keep it up, I love a good experiment!

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Agree.

The average garden rhodie is not a great subject for bonsai for the reasons others have laid out. That said there are many many species worldwide and many hybrids as well. At the nursery I work at we sell a number of more compact types with smaller leaves: purple gem, myrtifolium and of course PJM. These have better attributes for bonsai.

The issue of backbudding is tricky. My experience pruning garden rhodies is that bare branches are unlikely to bud, but PJMs seem much more amenable to it. Still, it's maybe 50/50.

All the rhodys we try are alpine lepidote types. With small leaves and flowers.

They back bud well with proper technique

Cheers
DSD sends

 

[Yannick81]

Busy day but tomorrow I'll help more. Close up of the trunk? Is it two plants? what's up with the low left side?

I guess it's one plant that could be cut in half by saw.

 

[Underdog]

I think that may be 2 plants. Find out when you repot in spring. May have a nice trunk down there lower.

Red lines cut and chase back buds closer to trunk. I would try to wire blue but maybe brittle. You can wire these when newer shoots. I would baby that low left branch on the main trunk as you need it. Just need to get it closer to the trunk.
You could make this a mother daughter type tree. While I know you want a larger tree but to get taper and proportions you have to back track. All this is IMHO

 

[Yannick81]

I think that may be 2 plants. Find out when you repot in spring. May have a nice trunk down there lower.

Red lines cut and chase back buds closer to trunk. I would try to wire blue but maybe brittle. You can wire these when newer shoots. I would baby that low left branch on the main trunk as you need it. Just need to get it closer to the trunk.
You could make this a mother daughter type tree. While I know you want a larger tree but to get taper and proportions you have to back track. All this is IMHO

Thanks for your help. I am hesitant to cut the trunk off that low., but I might do it. Will keep you posted.

Blue mark can definately be wired.