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Do you have the perfect spot aesthetically for a Japanese Maple tree but the location is way too hot? Try planting a Loropetalum (Loropetalum chinense) aka Plum Delight or Fringeflower, instead. Just choose a "leggy" specimen, pick the strongest looking stem/stems for the trunk and trim away the others, shaping it as it grows. You can form a beautiful tree that is "evergreen" where the leaves change from green to purple and you get hot pink sprays of blooms twice a year! It can get quite large, so give it plenty of room in sun or partial shade. There is a lovely example in the Idea Garden located in a corner of Tyler Rose Garden.
Try pruning other bushy shrubs into trees. I've seen a huge Red Tip Photinia (Photinia fraiseri) that shades a backyard Bar-B-Que area with the lowest branches 7 feet from the base. It took a few second looks to figure out what it was!
Making Azalea "trees" are options to pulling out those old spindly azaleas that have such thick stems that you don't want to chance tweaking your pruners on them. Use a hand saw if necessary to cut off unsightly branches and shape into a graceful specimen. Then plant a dwarf variety of azalea in front of it or try some evergreens such as autumn holly ferns to soften the knobby knees of the trunk. Cleyeras and Hawthorns would work too.
If your shrubs look too "heavy" and you're not trying to make a screen, open them up with selective pruning and you'll discover a whole new look for a common overgrown bush. Get creative and have fun!
Barbara Hersey, Smith County Master Gardener
Texas AgriLife Extension Service