Page 49 - BSAM 2016 Q2

WHAT
PASSIONA!
Text and Photos by Danilo Scursatone, Italy Translation by Danilo Scursatone and Joe Grande
zaleas, belonging to the genus Rhododendron and to the family Ericaceae, are widely used in the art bonsai although the species is not a tree but a shrub or a bush. e Rhododendron indicum or Satzuki Azalea originates from the mountains of Japan and encompasses the group of Azaleas most grown in Japan. is particular group of azaleas is of interest to the bonsai artist for
Top; Azaleas in the gardens of Villa Taranto, Italy.
Middle; white sand and azaleas, Shisen-dō Temple, Tokyo. Bottom; Villa Pallavicino in Lake Maggiore, Italy.
Photos courtesy www.creativecommons.org
two main reasons: the availability of many varieties of owers and the availability of starter material specially grown to become a bonsai.
Satzuki Azaleas have many varieties in their cultivars, among them, those com- monly used and most frequently found are:
Satzuki Kaho (white-magenta-pink owers with possible streaks of various colors); Satzuki Korin (magenta owers with small shape of the corolla of a lily and thick); Satzuki Kobai (magenta ower rounded with small owers and stained);
Satzuki Gyoten (light pink-white-magenta owers);
Satzuki Kinsai (orange-red owers frayed and some without fraying).
e azalea, however is not only appreciated as bonsai, but in the East, this species is a symbol of femininity and temperance, and is the purest love that exists: that of mothers. In fact, here in the West, azalea are o en gi ed on Mother's Day.
Azalea as a symbol of pure love, azalea that fosters love, how many love stories are born in places where there are azaleas? In Italy, we think of the gardens of Villa Taranto created by the Scottish Captain Neil McEacham or the park of Villa Pallavicino in Lake Maggiore with their beautiful azaleas that bloom and inundate us with scents and colors like clouds on earth. Or the charming garden of Shisen-dō Temple in Kyoto, Japan, composed of white sand and azaleas.
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