Bob Johnston's Major Azalea Score

M A J O R

I've looked at these Azaleas for almost 4 years, next to the road, drenched with salt every year, toasted in the summer heat, given up for...almost nothing?

I have been past this house almost every day, hesitated to ask, then...last week I was coming back from somewhere and the lady was in the front yard...

SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!!!

"YO mama, if you ever want to get rid of those plants, could you call me?"

"I've wanted someone to take them out and get rid of them...could you? If you want them, take them, I want them GONE !...NOW! The guy that mows my grass just hates them 'cause they are such a pain to mow around, they are just in the way."

I show up with spades on the next day (big grin). Just to help her out....RIGHT!!!!!!

Now then, I knew that they were big (even cut off short and all) but the bases were to die for. The one had to be about 10", the other at least 12"+. We had no idea that there were three (3) trees involved in this day.

Spades at the ready...digging trees (short ones) was a big pain! They had been there for almost 30 years and chopped off hard almost every year (short)! It took her going home for the 'big bar' after 1/2 hr just to pop the first one.

Then the euphoria set in, these 'little' Azaleas had bases that were hidden from all, buried up to their eyeballs for all of that time...I knew from looking that I had a few nice trees...as we uncovered the rest of the bases...it only got better! One based-out at over 14", the other was a 'fat' 12"! We spent the next three hours reducing the root-balls, trimming off the dead wood and re-potting into some training boxes. No need to put them in the field, they were almost ready for some real bonsai pots, trunked-up and in need of only some ramification.

*Click on any image to view the full size picture*
This is the way they looked after digging, On the 'operating table'. Am I smiling? I would (Wood) hope so! Let the games begin...........get the tools out!	Cleaning down the trunks-taking out the dead wood and branches...they just kept getting thicker and thicker as we went! If you can read the tape this one is over 13" and we've just begun to work on it.
This one was almost all dead wood but what a base!	Shortening the root-ball for the training boxes and finally resorting to the chain saw to do the job right! It was simply too thick and hard to do by hand (GRUNT!) AH, the smell of burning fuel and flying wood chips!
Still cleaning and showing more tree as we go! The difference between a good base and a great one was about 3" of soil removed.
The one trunk was loose and big enough to make it's own tree, why not?
Finally! Big bugger in the training box and chopsticking the soil, that's about 120# of tree and soil there.......Grunt!	End of a great afternoon...everyone in training boxes......FINALLY!!!!!! The 'look' is me trying to fight the urge to begin to carve and grind on that one.

EAT YOUR HEART(S) OUT!

High five's all around on this one.......and.........they were FREE! OK, not exactly.....about $2 of topsoil to fill the holes in and another $1.29 in seed, .50 in gas and another $12 to replace the chainsaw chain, $12 in cigars and about $5 in beer. Still, the price isn't bad for trees of this quality!