Question
Hi, I have this nice Azalea bush growing outside in my yard and its over 13 years old. I was thinking about turning into a bonsai since it has a nice trunk system and is nicely thinned out for the shape I had in mind. The problem though is that it doesn't seem to do so well every summer and has minimal growth and very little (if any)blooming. I am worried if I take it out of the ground it might put the plant under too much pressure and result in it dying from the stress. the plant itself like I said has a very low growth rate and seems to be surviving more than flourishing every year, and leaves on the plant are of a yellowish tint instead of a hardy green. I have a decent amount of experience in general concerning the art of bonsai but am not that well educated with Azaleas in general. I was wondering if it would be best to try to give the plant some fertilizer to help it  throughout this summer, and maybe dig it up next spring before it starts to come out of its dormant stage. Overall I was just wondering what would be the best course of action to help rejuvenate the plant and make it healthy again. Any helpful insight would be greatly appreciated.Thanks
-Mike

Answer
Hi Mike,

Do you fertilize the azalea and is it currently receiving enough light? I definately would not dig it up now. Early spring should be fine, but you may want to consider placing the Azalea in a plastic training pot first. This will require root prunning, but less root pruning that if you transplanted to a shallow bonsai pot.

Your plant may actually try in a pot. I don't know what your current soil condition is, but you can control the environments as a bonsai.

Post your question on http://www.learning2bonsai.com/ask-a-question You'll find experienced garderns that can help you with the process.