I read such trees can be turned into bonsai trees by root training and wirering.

Lowes and Home Depot will be receiving these in their garden center in appx. the next 4-6 weeks. As mentioned earlier, start with a small one to train into bonsai. Yet, wait til springtime when the azaleas stop blooming before training. Azaleas set their blooms late in the fall for the spring bloom cycle. Any pruning will cause the plant to abort the blooms and you lose the experience of a beautiful plant. There are some Azalea plants that are grown in a patio tree style,(bare single trunk with large head). Bright indirect light is best for azaleas in southwest, can handle more direct sun in eastern states.