The Tortoise always wins...you go!!! Seriously, what kind of a question is "why would you want to?" on a forum of HOW-TO? ...play nice. My reply: Yeah, you have roots!!!!!! I've gathered tiny trees this spring from our 22 acres of forest floor. I may have just turned 50 but the kid in me hopes I never want to stop experimenting. I gathered a gnarly, already crooked-trunked pine of some sort, one that's more 'perfect tiny tree' sized, 3 tiny cedar and a couple of larger beech. As I see it my options are Dish Garden, terrarium or just transplant closer to the front yard so I can enjoy them. Which I just did for the 2 beech trees. Play a little every day...it's good for you!

I've seen just one hedge maintained that way over many years, may have something to do with the care involved :) Same approximate weather as your zone, there is an evergreen azalea hedge either side of a long sidewalk leading to the doors of a church that I pass on my way to my mothers house about 100 miles from here. I don't mean to discourage you, but it's quite formal, appropriate in front of the very formal building. It looks wonderful for a few brief weeks in Spring, is pruned after new growth follows blooming where it then looks a little sparse, browning (or woody, I haven't parked to inspect) in some areas where it's been cut back to continue the angular lines, will fill out again closer to late summer. I wouldn't presume to impose my personal taste on you, but other than those few weeks around Easter, I don't find it an effective use of azalea. I'd rather see a boxwood shaped that severely lining the walk if hedging were wanted there, and azaleas in their natural shape planted nearby. I'm sorry but I can't tell you specifically which azalea has been used, only that its a deep rose pink, evergreen, and clearly tough as nails as it's endured that treatment many years now.

The best time to prune azaleas is right after they finish blooming. As with most spring bloomers, azaleas start to form the next year's flower buds in mid summer and by fall the buds are fairly well developed. Pruning after mid summer removes the next year's flower buds. Do not pinch after June because then flower buds will not have time to develop for the following year. Unlike other shrubs in the landscape, azaleas are shallow rooted and can be easily injured by excess fertilizer. In fact, some experienced azalea growers do not apply chemical fertilizes at all. They have found that plants usually can obtain sufficient nutrients for growth and flowering from the organic matter added to the planting hole and from the decaying mulch on the soil surface. Azaleas grow well naturally at relatively low nutrient levels. Therefore, fertilization should be done carefully, or the fine, delicate roots close to the soil surface will be damaged. A fertilizer analysis similar to 6-10-4 applied at 2 pounds per 100 square feet to the soil surface is usually adequate. If you use a good commercial fertilizer like HollyTone, apply at half the rate on the package. Cottonseed meal is also a good fertilizer. Fertilizing outdoor plants should be done in May, but not after July 1. Late summer fertilization may force out tender fall growth that will be killed by the winter. Broadcast fertilizer over an area extending from the trunk to 4 to 6 inches beyond the dripline or edge of the canopy. Be careful when broadcasting fertilizer over the top of plants, because the fertilizer granules may collect in the leaf whorls and cause foliar damage as it dissolves. Always fertilize when the foliage is dry, then use a broom or rake to brush residual fertilizer from leaves or stems. Apply overhead irrigation soon after application to wash any residual fertilizer from the foliage and to dissolve the fertilizer applied. Do not remove the mulch when fertilizing. The fertilizer will move through the mulch with irrigation water and rain.

Saw several in the local garden centre today but I'm away across The Ditch. No joy on the Australia forums?