Some wild Azaleas from seed

[Fjordland]

Hi. What do you think about these azaleas for bonsai?



Rhododendron saluenense
Rhododendron tsai
Rhododendron dauricum var. nana
rhododendron kiusianum X 4
(I also have some Rhododendron Indicum balsaminiifera, and an unknown cultivar)

I realise this will be a very long term project. Also thinking it could be be fun to cross pollinating them.

From what I could find, Rhododendron Kiusianum crossed with Kampferii is most likely the origin of Kurume cultivars. I will be able to take cuttings from Rhododendron Kampferii later this summer.

Any wild azaleas that are sought after for bonsai? There is someone nearby that has 400 species of wild Azaleas.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

First Kuisianum can be crafted into an excellent bonsai hands down.

As far as the others go, the saluenense appears decent, tsai would need experimenting first. Many of the other species can be made into a decent bonsai, we have done so here. Are the flowers are up to snuff is a key question. The reason many folks grow azalea bonsai is for the flowers first, secondly the ability to be crafted into a good bonsai style.

Not sure about the exact background of kurume. Most of these cultivars have been crossed repeatedly over the years , @Glaucus will be a great resource for this information.

Yamadori evergreen azaleas can certainly be crafted into bonsai… again flowers are also important. We’ve a few growing strong in the yard now which will become bonsai soon.

btw: We have a Rhododendron Kampferii bonsai that has been in the family for 25 years.

Cheers
DSD sends

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

I take back not knowing about the origin of Kurume azaleas.

The origin is not as simple as was stated above. This article ought to fill in most of the gaps for you.

Best
DSD sends

 

[Fjordland]

Thank you DSD. Rabbit hole for sure this azalea bonsai thing.

Other than this local source of wild azaleas, there is not much else available in Norway. Might be possible to import seeds, but Norwegian rules are strict on plants and getting worse.

 

[Fjordland]

Nice to know about your Kaempferii bonsai. Will absolutely get the cuttings. Kind of regretting not buying all of the kiusianum he had. Might do that now.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Great!

btw If the seller happens to have Komo Kulshan, it’s a really nice Kuisianum.

Kurume might work well for your area too,

Cheers
DSD sends

 

[Glaucus]

Actual Kurume are quite exotic, as you can see from the article. The pure domes of colour are usually Edo-Kirishima, or similar. And in Europe, we have our own strains of what we call obtusum.
The Kurume research station had all types of azaleas, satsuki, Hirado, Ryukyu, and then the nearby natural hybrids on the Kirishima volcano system.
So many Kurume azaleas are bicolours, or unusual forms.
Wild species evergreen azaleas are quite rare. I am trying to grow some wild R.indicum, but they are more challenging than cultivated forms.
Azaleas that were human sown by several generations, maybe a dozen of generations, of course automatically select to make this easier and more successful.
There is a part 2 to this The Azalean article as well.

You can grow whatever you like as bonsai. The reason why the Japanese grow satsuki is because the flowering period of an azalea bonsai needs to be during the satsuki bloom period, or else you cannot display it in flower during the satsuki shows. And shows are what drive most of the hobby in Japan.

 

[Fjordland]

My R. Indicum Balsamifera is doing fine on the west coast of Norway. Perhaps because of my very stony garden with good drainage. Gets full sun most of the day. Also it’s usually quite humid and mild weather here.

 

[Glaucus]

R.indicum 'Balsaminiflorum' is probably the same as the satsuki 'Komane'

Komane, satsuki azalea - Azalea Variety Database

Komane satsuki azalea variety. This profile shows some characteristics and the parentage of this hybrid.Seedling of 'R. indicum'

azaleadatabase.com

Your picture shows something that looks like a R.kiusianum or hybrid.
Even though R.kiusianum is from southern Japan, it only grows above 1km of altitude. It is near deciduous and quite winter hardy.

R. kiusianum, species azalea - Azalea Variety Database

R. kiusianum species azalea variety. This profile shows some characteristics and the parentage of this hybrid.

azaleadatabase.com

 

[Fjordland]

My guy might’ve mislabelled it perhaps. I’ll ask him. He has written at least one book on the subject of wilds azaleas and have over 400 wild rhododendron species in his collection.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

R.indicum 'Balsaminiflorum' is probably the same as the satsuki 'Komane'

Komane, satsuki azalea - Azalea Variety Database

Komane satsuki azalea variety. This profile shows some characteristics and the parentage of this hybrid.Seedling of 'R. indicum'

azaleadatabase.com

Your picture shows something that looks like a R.kiusianum or hybrid.
Even though R.kiusianum is from southern Japan, it only grows above 1km of altitude. It is near deciduous and quite winter hardy.

R. kiusianum, species azalea - Azalea Variety Database

R. kiusianum species azalea variety. This profile shows some characteristics and the parentage of this hybrid.

azaleadatabase.com

Gosh, your database is exploding with good data.
Incredible!
Thank you
Cheers
DSD sends

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

My guy might’ve mislabelled it perhaps. I’ll ask him. He has written at least one book on the subject of wilds azaleas and have over 400 wild rhododendron species in his collection.

Interesting. What is the book called/author?

Best
DSD sends

 

[Glaucus]

Probably Ole Jonny Larsen:

Bøker

Jeg har siden 2008 gitt ut fem egne bøker og redigert en for Den norske Rhododendronforening. Begge de to første er resultat av artikler jeg tidligere har skrevet om samme emne som så senere har...

www.lapponicum.com

There's some people here in Europe specifically collecting and maintaining collections of species form of rhododendron. It is quite hard to find true wild species of evergreen azaleas.
On my site, I show the most prominent evergreen species in their natural habitat.
It is pretty cool to grow plants on the coastal areas of Norway. The winters are mild there similarly to Alaskan and BC coast. But there is a short growing season and low light levels. Which satsuki are said to traditionally have struggled with.
One reason why Glendoick nurseries in Scotland had to create their own evergreen azalea hybrids.

https://www.azaleas.org/wp-content/uploads/azalean/28/1/articles/Breeding_Evergreen_Azaleas_at_Glendoick.pdf

Here in the Netherlands, I have not had huge issues with the more Northern latitude for growing satsuki.
I hybridize satsuki here in Europe, which few people have done. But one could similarly try to recreate species forms from cultivated hybrids. But that would maybe be a lot of effort with unclear benefits.

 

[Fjordland]

Yep! That’s him.