I grow most of my shrubs in more or less that format. They may not all perform in your area but they are leatherleaf viburnum (V. rhytidophyllum), Hydrangea aspera, Philadelphus, elderberry (Sambucus nigra 'Guincho Purple'), Disanthus cercidiphyllum, and one that naturally grows in this shape, Leycesteria formosana. And, for that matter, some of my rhododendrons. The primary criterion for success with this form, it seems to me, is that the shrub has to not sprout too aggressively from the base once it has relatively mature stems. This rules out grafted shrubs, or at least, it does if you don't always want to be pruning suckers from the base. In fact my contorted filbert (Corylus avellana 'Harry Lauder's Walking Stick') would also qualify, and Hamamelis cultivars such as 'Diane' could do so, but there are always suckers. And even on others, you have to ruthlessly remove new growth from the base unless you want one to grow into a replacement stem - and I do prune out old stems from time to time. I also failed to achieve this form with Vitex, because mine sprouted aggressively and very laterally from the base - but that could have been because we cut it back severely at one point. I'm just working on converting it to a single stem tree form. The Vitex's history actually brings me to another criterion for success, which is that the reason we cut it back hard was that we were moving it AWAY from the house wall where it WOULD NOT grow upright - it leaned so far out that the adjacent patio became useless. It, and all my deciduous shrubs, now are planted away from structures and fences so that they get light from all sides, and they grow nice and straight )although if shaded by each other or other trees they also grow their bulk toward the sun). Next to a structure or wall, any deciduous shrub will lean away. If the garage is fairly low and the plant can get light once it grows above it, you can train it upright until it gets there. If the garage is taller and you can determinedly tie to the garage even as the plant grows to its full height, then of course you can grow whatever you want there - just don't expect it to happen naturally. I finally had to ask on another forum why conifers don't seem to have this problem... turns out conifers will grow upright even next to walls because they grow against gravity rather than toward light. Deciduous shrubs, on the other hand, grow toward light. Geotropic vs. phototropic, I think it was. Broadleaf evergreen shrubs, like rhodos and the Viburnum, seem to have some mix of the two properties, but don't quote me on that. I base this on noting how they grow in one-sided light conditions. Karin L PS another good candidate might be Hibiscus syriacus.

I prune my once-blooming roses when they are dormant in winter. Contrary to popular belief, you will not lose the summer blooms by pruning at this time. I prefer when they are dormant because they are less prone to shock if you need to prune them harder than 1/3 or remove old canes. Roses need some leaves in summer to feed so hard pruning can hurt them at that time, and then if you have a summer drought that can kill them if they are recovering from a pruning unless you are constantly watering (and I prefer to let my once-bloomers go dormant and be low-maintenance in the summer). Anyway, prune them at the right time when they are dormant and you can develop more of a branching structure by pruning them low the first year, then a foot higher the next of the branches, and then a bit higher, and then get rid of the oldest canes and start over...encourage a vase-shaped branching structure that you need to build up over several seasons which constantly will get refreshed as you remove the oldest canes.

Actually, though these trees have a reputation for being tough, they should be cared for in a way that improves their chances for a long life. I'm sorry that your trees have had a history of being topped. Though you can shape them to improve them, they will never quite have the beautiful 'bones' of a tree that hasn't been butchered. The best time to prune these trees is in the dormant season when you can see what you are doing! It will be much easier to pick and choose which limbs need to be removed for aesthetics and safety. I see no reason to spray paint the limbs first. Pruning is an art form and an acquired skill. If done improperly, you CAN ruin your tree. If done correctly, you will be able to improve the health and appearance of your trees a great deal. There is quite a bit of good information on the internet about making proper cuts, tools, etc. Plus, there are some good illustrated books out there. I strongly believe that if a tree is too large to be pruned without a ladder, then a homeowner has no business with a chain saw in his hand. Most crape myrtle pruning can be done with a tree saw (large and small), and some good loppers. A good tree saw, by the way, cuts through branches like a knife through butter. Do you happen to live anywhere near Huntsville? I'm going to conduct a (free) crape myrtle pruning class sometime this winter.

i dont understand.. why you planted a TREE .... and insist it be a shrub .... not that it cant be done ... but it ALWAYS will want to be a tree .... the simplest solution is to cut it down to within 6 inches of the soil ... at the proper time of year ... and it will resprout with multiple leaders ... i had one once that refused to be a tree.. so we kept doing that until it got itself sorted out to its treeness ... BUT IT IS ALWAYS GOING TO WANT TO BE A TREE ... yes there are methods to grow trees as shrubs .. but it will take multiple prunings per year .... FOREVER ... and that will have an impact on how it flowers ... if at all ... frankly.. if it were me.. i would let it be the small tree it wants to be .... and i would plant proper shrubs under it .... it would be much simpler.. and less work ... and if you did this.. you would prune it higher.. for the garden beneath .... the term to research .. as noted above is 'pollarding' ... its a pain in the behind... and i gave up on it long ago ... it is easier to admit the purchasing mistake.. rather than force it into what it refuses to be ... or you are the type who likes the challenge.. i respect that.. good luck ken Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.google.com/search?q=pollarding&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a