azalea (karen) ??? help please ...

anyone here have any info on this azalea ??? i found 2 in a clearance at a local nursery ... bolth have interesting trunks and tiny leaves ,, bolth almost look like small trees as is ... im reading the tag and all i can get from the tag is that its called a azalea karen ??? they grow 3-4 ft wide and tall .... other than that i have nothing .. im not sure if they are even sutiable for bonsai ,, but i really like the tiny foliage and interesing trunks ... help please /

Hi Mike. A quick Google gave me this: http://www.wolfcreekgardens.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=108

Hope it's some use to you. It certainly sounds like it's a good subject for bonsai. Good luck with them, and let's see some pics. Someone (or several someones) will doubtless have suggestions on how to start styling them.

hey thanks .. i did already read that page i too googled it ... but i was still unsure if it would be good materal for bonsai .. it looks like it would be great ,, small leaves ,, nice trunk movment and so on ... how ever arent azaleas rather tough to work with ,, i read somewhere they have thier own rules ??? eighter way i want to try working with em ... ill get some pics up of the stock ...

here are some pics of the plant materal


what do ya think ?

Well, you do have a lot of severe pruning to do, but azaleas by their very nature -- compact root systems, small leaves (often, at least), acceptance of pruning, overall resilience, are all suitable for bonsai. This one may be a Kurume variety.

Better than Satsuki (IMHO).

hey thanks Jim i has no ideal .. so is it ok to pune back hard ???

I'm a transplanted Floridian and now a North Carolinian. I wouldn't dare say what you could/should or should not do in Green Bay.

If you prune now, the chances are it will push new growth that will not harden off before a deep frost. Your best bet is to winter them over in their current pot. Wait till next spring after the flower bloom and drop, and then prune. Repotting should be done at the same time of the year, but you would be stressing the trees quite a bit to do both at the same time. They like acid soil, and they don't like having too much of the roots pruned at any one time. Good luck.

hey thanks for the help ... you really answered some questions i had ... ill just do what you said ,, winter them in the pots ... im in no rush ,, i have all time to work with em ... i just wanted to insure i was doing the work at the right times ... thanks again ...