Shine Bright Like A Diamond

In an attempt to get into a routine of posting on the blog again I thought I’d share this Rhododendron Blue Diamond here.

You’ll notice the one branch at the front without flowers. It’s a weak branch which gets weaker every year. There is a very thin live vein on it and I had removed the flowers from it for the last few years to try and strengthen it with no joy. Enough was enough. It had its chance so time to remove and redesign.

And then past peak with dead flowers showing.

The ideal time to remove the flowers and more importantly the little seed pods at their centre.

Structural pruning

After pruning and set for the post flowering flush. You’d hardly notice the front branch at the main apex gone. A few bits wired to fill the gap.

Below is how the tree came to me in 2002.

7 comments on “Shine Bright Like A Diamond”

Nebari is not that great either. I’d apply the same tactic: remove and redesign.
A.

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bonsai eejit

April 29, 2020 @ 10:58 am

I like the base it shows the age of the tree well and the last thing I’d want on the tree is a boring traditional base. What base would you want on it Andrew and how would you achieve it?

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Very nice job. I see that initially the branches were quite long and bare. Does azalea form a good back budding on bare branches after pruning?

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bonsai eejit

April 29, 2020 @ 9:12 pm

This is a dwarf rhododendron as opposed to azalea but a lot of the principles apply. Pruning back after flowering or in spring prior to flowering will give you plenty of back budding. Just make sure the energy in the tree is ramped up for it and don’t do it too late in the year and you get the results.

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