In my garden in Washington DC, kurumes seem to be the best, especially Hino de giri, which is a lovely raspberry red. The foliage is small and glossy, which makes for a much neater appearance when sheared. Best to stay away from the larger leaf types, especially if the leaves are also hairy. Around here, an example of that would be some of the Glenn Dale hybrids, especially the overplanted Delaware Valley White. Unfortunately, I have some of those, and they really hate to be sheared.

In general, the smaller the leaf, the better the plant looks when sheared.

Fran

Christian, here is a link for you. I found this by searching for 'tsutsuji' on Google. It should keep you busy for a while. Actually identifying and locating specific varieties in the U.S. might be tough. I should tell you that I know next to nothing about traditional practices of creating or maintaining a Japanese garden. I do know that if your hedging material is composed of kurume your flowers will be at this time of the year. If it is satsuki, flowers will be late May and June. I don't know which is proper. Perhaps a visit to your nearest public Japanese garden would get some questions answered for you.
Good luck,
zube

Here is a link that might be useful: tsutsuji

Thanks for the info Fran. I actually picked up some 3 gal Kurumes awhile back including Hino Crimson and of course Coral Bells, but i couldnt find a white with small leaves. The leaf size looked ideal, and the flower display is stunning, but i read that they are semi-evergreen which began to concern me. I am looking to create some rounded shrubs that will be green all year long. I am wondering if the kurume's will hold the majority of their leaves through the winter in zone 7 or is there a better small leaved evergreen variety?

Thanks for the link zube. I hadnt thought of looking up the Japanese name for azaleas.

-christian

Christian,
The Hino Crimson are evergreen here in NW Oregon, which is a coastal zone 8.
zube

Hi Christian, I have great luck with PJM's. They live through our tough winters here in zone 5 and are putting on quite a show right now. I will take a photo and post it in the gallery for you. I have not trimmed them into a rounded shape but I am sure they would respond well. A couple of them are thirty years old.

Cheers June

Gumpos should do well where you live.

Hey June, im still trying to decipher the acronym PJM... Im drawing a blank, but id surely love to see the photos.

By a stroke of luck, or could it be cosmic collaboration, a dear friend just gifted me a fabulous new book titled 'Garden Plants of Japan' - Yamamori/Taaffe, which has some interesting info and photos of these azaleas. Apparently the name 'Satsuki' translates to 'May, or the lunar fifth month' reflecting the onset of the bloom period. The pruning advice for the satsuki is to 'clip with shears immediately after flowering to ensure flowers for the following year. Not pruning results in leggy growth and fewer flowers. Clip again at the end of long hot summers, removing only the extended growth.'

There is also a photo of a stunning tamamono style kurume azalea (R. obtusum) with such an abundance of pink flowers that the foliage is completely obscured.

My next question is: Are tamamono (semi-globe shaped) azaleas generally comprised of one individual plant or a group of three or more?

Thanks for all of your suggestions.

-christian

The actual varieties grown in gardens Japan differ both from those in the West and new azaleas created by Japanese hybridisers. Not only are these varieties hard to find but they prefer the Japanese climate.

So the advice to look at local gardens for varieties that thrive in your zone is right on the money. Look for good leaf and pure, clean colours.

PS. You'll also need acid soil or apply tricks like buried pots/raised acid beds. I settle on a lookalike - Pittosporum Tobira Nanum which can stand exposure and has lovely rhododendron type leaves - no flowers yet though, meant to be white but it's been sulking for 3 years.

Cytania,
The initials PJM stand for Peter J. Mezitt. Below is a link with some interesting tid-bits about this variety of azalea. I have two in my garden and they have weathered the winters with no problems so far. They are ablaze with wonderful purple flowers now.

Greg

Here is a link that might be useful: PJM Azalea

For the purpose you are seeking, I agree that Kurume varieties would probably be the best azaleas for trimming. A good white variety is Snow. The best time to prune/trim these types of azaleas is immediately after they flower. And it's best to buy them while they are flowering so you know what you are getting and don't mix up different colors. Many kurumes look very similar when they aren't flowering, and it's not unusual to buy a bunch of azaleas that are supposed to be the same color and then find out there are some different colors mixed in when they bloom the next year.

Gumpos are another nice variety, but probably wouldn't shape as well as kurumes. Gumpos tend to be more spreading and grow very low to the ground. They also bloom later than most azaleas, around June in NC.

Thanks for the helpful advice everyone. Ive been told that the tamamono style shrubs generally consist of only one individual plant, though im not sure if i have the patience to wait for a 3 gallon azalea to get 3'h x 4'w....maybe in 15 years. Im thinking i may cheat and plant 3 per group to achieve quicker results, though it may lead to problems down the road with uneven growth.

-christian

'P.J.M.' is a rhododendron.

Naturally dense, small-flowered evergreen azaleas normally produce a solid clot of color at bloom time. Shearing would, if anything, decrease flowering by cutting off some of the shoots that were going to produce flower buds, which are formed at the end of these shoots. I haven't been surprised to see that closely sheared evergreen azaleas with an uneven dispersal of flowers through the bush.