I did some digging at the local nursery and found an azalea that had a decent single-stem structure. I forgot to take a photo before I hacked it down, but trust me when I say it was a good-looking little azalea with plenty of branches and leaves.
I may have waited too long post-bloom to work on it, but we’ll see. I got to use bonsai cut paste for the first time. It’s a lot like glue, and I got to use a good amount because I was a little loosey-goosey with the pruning saw. I’m sure it will be fine.
I moved the little maple sprout out of this pot and replaced it with a, what the nursery calls, “pre-bonsai”. It’s a plant that’s been through the first couple of bonsai prunings and is set up for success.
I’ve got both of these plants in a moderately shady spot on the back porch. We’ve had plenty of rain and hot sun, so I’m hoping they get through to the fall. We’ll see.