Im sure you could do something funky with it but I would be careful though, they're extremely prone to crown gall which can really mess up the trunk and kill off shoots. I would still give it a go, it looks like its got a decent trunk to it! Just make sure to sterilize your tools before and after ;)
That third one is super cool! I would personally try for that one but theyre all pretty much winners in my books. Not sure how well Ashe junipers react to being dug though, keep us updated on it!
Throw it into a nice shallower round pot and it'll be lookin pretty! the movement is nice in the trunk too! but the stub just above the second branch is too much from that side, it doesn't taper very smoothly. (I also think it would look good with just the first branch and nothing else but thats...
Looks like fly larvae to me, the way its black head sinks back into the body is the main giveaway. Looks like a sliver of wood stuck in its body vs an actual head that a borer would have. I don't know of any of the fly species that's gonna attack a maple under the bark or attack a maple in...
They air layer easy and fast too, cuttings take pretty good as well. I usually air layer later in the spring but you could probably get away with it earlier in your area. As for cuttings I find I just stick them whenever as long as its before fall and they root, just not sure if the cuttings...
how often do you water it? Not sure if its the photo but the surface of the soil looks like its kinda swampy, as if its holding too much moisture or if there is still a fair bit of organics in the pot.
Here's a few that haven't suffered as bad from so much rain and heat here, a honeysuckle in a pink unknown Japanese pot
A kiwi vine in an American pot (still looking for who made it)
A cotoneaster in a misfired Japanese,
And two negari barberry in Ashley Keller pots.
I usually prune back once the new growth hardens off if I'm reducing or I'll pinch the new growth for refinement. If you pinch, you sometimes get a second flush of growth but I only work with white spruce so I can only speak for that species haha. Not to mention its throwing some healthy growth...
I would grab all the yew that you can carry, the rhodo and if you can lift the boulevard cypress, I take it too. But in reality the best ones to go for are the yew since theyre the only ones I see that have potential to dig
I've never tried Hawthorns but they shouldn't be too hard since they sprout in the wild like crazy. I usually just stratify my other seeds naturally over the winter but I'm sure you could soak them in warm water then plant them and see some sprouting. Maybe cool them for a month? since you're in...
Give it a shake to get some of those leaves out! lol and they'll push green buds and the new leaves usually come out green with some red then get darker as they harden off depending on the variety.
I have one that I'm training in the ground, it back buds well but I haven't tried hard chopping too much. Leaves dont reduce much either but I still think it will work for a larger tree. I also prune them with my other azaleas but not 100% sure how similar they respond.
I always cut the bases flat but that's because I'm useless at getting fine details to make stands lol or I put them in pots with substrate. I like that tall one with the tapered point!