How has your experience been with Russian cypress so far? I purchased one last year and it survived winter easily with no dieback, the pot just sitting on the ground. This was pretty crazy since in my zone 3-4 climate even lodgepole and Scots pine will have dieback unless their pots are heeled into the ground. Online, Russian cypress are commonly referenced to be zone 2-3.
I love the foliage since it is fine and similar to Hinoki while not experiencing dieback in my climate. Since these are a relatively obscure plant I haven't seen any specimens grown as bonsai yet, hopefully this begins to change!
I imagine that the techniques to train Hinoki and Sawara would be applicable to these, but I haven't tried pinching Russian cypress yet since I'm still in the phase of growing it out to thicken the trunk. They are a procumbent growing plant so if you want an upright form lots of wiring will be required.
I have also found that they are extremely easy to propagate through cuttings. My 3 cuttings took last year in June rooted in less than a months time.
