[IBC] need help with azalea I.D.

zube100@hotmail.com

Hi folks,
I thought I'd post a message here and see if anyone can help me. A
week ago I dug up a large azalea from the flowerbed at my mother's
house. She passed away in January and the house is being sold. I
suppose the plant has been in the ground for 15-20 years, but that's
only a guess. I was wondering if someone can help me identify it. I'm
fairly sure it's some type of satsuki, only because it bloomed
vigorously all through June. The flowers are a bright fuscia/pink, and
small, about 1¼ " across. They are also a hose-in-hose, no ruffles,
but a very standard satsuki shape with 5 distinct star-like petals
(only double). I would think that this is some type of domestic
variety. I'm sure it came from a garden center or nursery. If anyone
has any ideas, I'd be grateful.
Thanks,
Lauren

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Billy M. Rhodes

Try this site.
They have some decent photos.

http://www.tytyga.com

or this list of nurseries with web sites.

http://www.azaleachapter.com/growers.htm


Billy on the Florida Space Coast

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Jim Lewis

On 13 Aug 2004 at 3:32, zube100@HOTMAIL.COM wrote:

> Hi folks,
> I thought I'd post a message here and see if anyone can help me. A
> week ago I dug up a large azalea from the flowerbed at my mother's
> house. She passed away in January and the house is being sold. I
> suppose the plant has been in the ground for 15-20 years, but that's
> only a guess. I was wondering if someone can help me identify it. I'm
> fairly sure it's some type of satsuki, only because it bloomed
> vigorously all through June. The flowers are a bright fuscia/pink, and
> small, about 1¼ " across. They are also a hose-in-hose, no ruffles,
> but a very standard satsuki shape with 5 distinct star-like petals
> (only double). I would think that this is some type of domestic
> variety. I'm sure it came from a garden center or nursery. If anyone
> has any ideas, I'd be grateful.


Go to your public library and check out Fred Galle's "Azaleas." It
is the English-speaking-world's bible on Azaleas. It's likely that
you can ID your plant there. Galle had a hand in on Ortho's "All
About Azaleas (and Rhododendrons?)" too, but it is only a sketch of
the big book.

Jim Lewis - jklewis@nettally.com - Tallahassee, FL - Nature
encourages no looseness, pardons no errors. Ralph Waldo Emerson

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zube100@hotmail.com

Thanks for your help guys!
Lauren


On 13 Aug 2004 02:06:04 -0700, GOPHERHILL@AOL.COM (Billy M. Rhodes)
wrote:

>Try this site.
>They have some decent photos.
>
>http://www.tytyga.com
>
>or this list of nurseries with web sites.
>
>http://www.azaleachapter.com/growers.htm
>
>
>Billy on the Florida Space Coast
>
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> ++++Sponsored, in part, by Evergreen Gardenworks++++
>************************************************** ******************************
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> +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail BONSAI-REQUEST@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM +++++

Alan Walker

Of course, if you can read Japanese, there are even
better resources, but that it unlikely here. ;-)
There are over a thousand varieties of satsuki azaleas,
so you may find that getting the exact name of your cultivar is
like finding a needle in a haystack. If you can figure out which
nursery originally sold the azalea to your mother, the best way
of identifying it would be to take a sprig with a bloom on it to
them next year.
However, the best source on azalea taxonomy of which I am
aware is a CD available through El Dorado Bonsai called “Satsuki
Dictionary.” It can be ordered through their web site at:
http://www.edbonsai.com/
El Dorado Bonsai / Enchanted Gardens Nursery and El Dorado
Bonsai,
Dolly & Fred Fassio, 3201 Newtown Road, Placerville, CA 95667,
Appt. only - Re. - Who., (530) 295-0200, (530) 295-2222,
edbonsai@onemain.com
At $100 you may find the price is steep, but it is a very
good value when you consider all the information which is packed
into it. “This Dictionary lists 1106 varieties, Monthly SATSUKI
STUDY is used as a reference. From AKANE listed in this
Dictionary through WAKUDAMA are the varieties registered between
1994 and 2000.”
Alan Walker
http://bonsai-bci.com http://LCBSBonsai.org

-----Original Message-----
On 13 Aug 2004 at 3:32, zube100@HOTMAIL.COM wrote:
> Hi folks,
> I thought I'd post a message here and see if anyone can help
me. A
> week ago I dug up a large azalea from the flowerbed at my
mother's
> house. She passed away in January and the house is being sold.
I
> suppose the plant has been in the ground for 15-20 years, but
that's
> only a guess. I was wondering if someone can help me identify
it. I'm
> fairly sure it's some type of satsuki, only because it bloomed
> vigorously all through June. The flowers are a bright
fuscia/pink, and
> small, about 1¼ " across. They are also a hose-in-hose, no
ruffles,
> but a very standard satsuki shape with 5 distinct star-like
petals
> (only double). I would think that this is some type of domestic
> variety. I'm sure it came from a garden center or nursery. If
anyone
> has any ideas, I'd be grateful.

From: Jim Lewis
Go to your public library and check out Fred Galle's "Azaleas."
It
is the English-speaking-world's bible on Azaleas. It's likely
that
you can ID your plant there. Galle had a hand in on Ortho's "All
About Azaleas (and Rhododendrons?)" too, but it is only a sketch
of
the big book.

Jim Lewis - jklewis@nettally.com - Tallahassee, FL - Nature
encourages no looseness, pardons no errors. Ralph Waldo Emerson

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************************************************** ******************************
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+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail BONSAI-REQUEST@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM +++++

Jim Lewis

On 13 Aug 2004 at 10:51, Alan Walker wrote:

snip

> However, the best source on azalea taxonomy of which I am
> aware is a CD available through El Dorado Bonsai called “Satsuki
> Dictionary.”

snip

> At $100 you may find the price is steep,

Yup.

Unless I specialized in Satsuki bonsai and had more than the dozen or
so I have in pots (of 4 varieties, plus a Kurume or two) I'd think
that was a LOT expensive just for an ID resource. Besides, of the
1000 plus cultivars listed there, I'd bet less than 20 are even
available in North America -- if that many. And I wonder if it even
mentions the few Satsuki that have been developed in the west.

If there were cultural info (or even bonsai info) that MIGHT make the
price more reasonable -- but I doubt it.

Fred Galle's book will have to do. ;-)

Jim Lewis - jklewis@nettally.com - Tallahassee, FL - Bonsaiests are
like genealogists: We know our roots!

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Carol Schroeder

Lsuren wrote:
< I was wondering if someone can help me identify [a large azalea). I'm
fairly sure it's some type of satsuki, only because it bloomed
vigorously all through June. The flowers are a bright fuscia/pink, and
small, about 1¼ " across. They are also a hose-in-hose, no ruffles,
but a very standard satsuki shape with 5 distinct star-like petals
(only double).>

Michael Dirr in Manual of Woody Landscape Plants writes that there are so many azalea cultivars and hybrid groups that it is difficuolt to present all of them. He describes the Satsuki Hybrids as blooming in May for most varieties. They feature <many fl
ower forms and many color combinations on one plant. Large flowers appear in mid to late May and June in the Athens [Georgia] area}.>

I think, but am not sure, that one very obvious characteristic of the Satsuki is many different color blooms appearing on one plant. Maybe someone on the List can enlighten both of us.

Carol Schroeder
Baltimore Bonsai club

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Alan Walker

Jim: Cultural and bonsai information weren't mentioned in the
original question. The Galle book (List Price: $79.95 Amazon
Price: $54.37) is a great resource, but doesn't have but a
fraction of the color photos of individual cultivars that the
Satsuki Dictionary displays in the most user friendly way
possible. (I take it that you haven't viewed the Satsuki
Dictionary?)
If cheap is your objective, then I recommend Great
American Azaleas: A Guide to the Finest Azalea Varieties by Jim
Darden. (c) 1985. Published by The Greenhouse Press, 1239 Sunset
Ave., Clinton, NC 28328. Phone 919-592-3725. Like Fred Galle's
book, it has good organizational logic. It also has a lot of
color photos for its size (96 pp.). Cost (at least when I bought
it) was only $8.95.
For cultural and bonsai information, I recommend
Alexander Kennedy's books. There is also Bonsai Techniques for
Satsuki by Naka, Ota, & Rokkaku, but it is long out of print and
fetches very high prices as a rare book.
Alan Walker
http://bonsai-bci.com http://LCBSBonsai.org


-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Lewis

On 13 Aug 2004 at 10:51, Alan Walker wrote:

snip
> However, the best source on azalea taxonomy of which I
am
> aware is a CD available through El Dorado Bonsai called
"Satsuki
> Dictionary."
snip
> At $100 you may find the price is steep,

Yup.
Unless I specialized in Satsuki bonsai and had more than the
dozen or
so I have in pots (of 4 varieties, plus a Kurume or two) I'd
think
that was a LOT expensive just for an ID resource. Besides, of
the
1000 plus cultivars listed there, I'd bet less than 20 are even
available in North America -- if that many. And I wonder if it
even
mentions the few Satsuki that have been developed in the west.

If there were cultural info (or even bonsai info) that MIGHT make
the
price more reasonable -- but I doubt it.
Fred Galle's book will have to do. ;-)
Jim Lewis - jklewis@nettally.com - Tallahassee, FL

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+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail BONSAI-REQUEST@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM +++++

kevin bailey

Some Satsuki have many different flower forms on the same plant but many
more do not. The name Satsuki means fifth moon or fifth month in
Japanese. Most do flower in May but I have one variety (Karenko) that
started then and is still in flower now.

I recently purchased a Japanese volume that has beautiful colour
photographs of approx 1,120 varieties. It is ordered into flower colour
and form and can help with identifying varieties but it is a long and
slow search.

Cheers

Kev Bailey
Vale Of Clwyd, North Wales

>I think, but am not sure, that one very obvious characteristic of the
Satsuki is many >different color blooms appearing on one plant. Maybe
someone on the List can >enlighten both of us.

Carol Schroeder
Baltimore Bonsai club

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********
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************************************************** **********************
********
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<<--<<
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail BONSAI-REQUEST@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM
+++++

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