fall blooming azalea

This is azalea 'Bloom-a-Thon Double Pink' a USA origin hybrid, bred for spring and then a repeat bloom in autumn. Its ancestry probably has a good dose of satsuki and mixed with another azalea to bring in repeat blooming. Picked it up Spring 2014 from Bill Valvanis as a young plant. It is in a 4 x 4 x 5 inch pot for scale. The flowers are large, about 4 inches across, fully double and a nice, clean soft pink. Because I'm "shakes the clown" I had to use flash to get an image without blur, so the blue notes in the color pop too much in the image. The color is soft and smooth pink with good color depth. Leaves are at the bigger side of normal for a satsuki, but more than small enough it could be used for any size or style normally used for azalea. It is listed as hardy to -6 F, so it is good through most of USDA growing zone 6. I will protect it in winter (I'm in 5b)

It has buds developing at the end of every branch right now, in a few weeks I should have a bunch of flowers open. I may have to do the "in and out" dance to avoid frosts, but it might be worth doing that to get the flowers. I know, flowers drain energy, but right now, this little bush seems to have energy to spare. Next year, after I get photos of the autumn flower show, I'll start the pruning to force ramification, and forego the flowers until I am closer to my goal.

This type of hybrid might have real potential to extend the blooming season for those of us who want a flowering tree around.

This is a young plant, I'm thinking my current plan is to just let it grow for a couple years. If it had a lot more branches I would have better choices for a future first styling. So for the next couple years, the plan is to create a bush with lots of branches. This should help with trunk caliper. Flower size is large, so the design choice will have to take this into account. Branches will have to have space between the layers, probably 3 to 4 inches between a lower branch and the branch above it, otherwise there won't be room for the flowers. The main reason I personally grow azaleas is for the flowers, and I like the look of a tree almost hidden by flowers, so I need to plan ahead as I develop this young shrub to make a nice display plant.

Currently the total height is about 9 inches tall. I think my goal is a tree between 12 inches and 18 inches. That should be tall enough to allow 3 to 5 layers of foliage and flowers. It is fun working with material this vigorous, and young, I can really play "build a tree", from the ground up. Like most azalea, it seems to be basally dominant, the low branches all emerged this summer. Late winter work I'll get rid of all but a couple, which will be used as sacrifice branches. I don't have a specific design in mind, so if you have suggestions, I would be happy to entertain them.

sweet bloom Leo!

Branches of most azalea break easily so keep that in mind. When the branches are young you can still wire and twist but afterwards it becomes very risky.
Grtz
Tommy

It looks like you have a very healthy Azalea Leo, the flower color is great, right now the tree has a Y shape why not air layer one of the branch to make another tree? Just a thought.

Xuan

3 flowers open at once, the flowers are long lasting 2. The first did not wilt until just before these 3 opened. Every branch has buds coming. They are crowded, so you don't see all 3 at once, in the future I'll have to thin buds. Shortly after the photo session, all buds trimmed off, branches cut back fairly hard and tree was put into winter storage. A long term project, should be a fun one to work with. Nice to have color as the snow begins to fly.