I received some big white birch trunks and branches when a friend's tree died. Then I saw a family down the street had trimmed the same kind of trees,cutting down 1. the lady down the street said a friend made a christmas chandalier with some branches. A main one with a hook on top and used 2 branches to make cross branches on bottom (screwed on) and then she put candle holders on the end. I think she bought some at a store like Michaels. but you could use copper pipes and drill in a spot for them...I did a candlier once and used the flanges? that went around a faucet where they go into a wall...picked them up at a hardward store. Less expensive. I have cut a lot of them and tied to the grandkids big fort so they could call it a tree house for a while. I have cut some to use as curtain rods. I am gona use some of them to make candle bases or holders. I have some cut to use as bases for birdhouses I will make when they replace the fence. I kept all the small pieces to put on the outside of some of the birdhouse like logs and others to make some doll furniture with. Now I have not done them yet, just in my plans to do when I cut them up last week. I know all those ideas and plenty of time...lack of energy some days for this great grandma.

If it worked before, what do you have to loose by trying it again? The branch certainly looks like it has plenty of roots. Roots that grew in water don't usually work well when planted in soil, BUT growing more roots in water isn't going to improve the situation one bit. And, like I said above, the fact that the cutting is dormant is a big plus. I would try to straighten out the roots as much as is reasonably possible when you plant it to avoid future girdling roots and encourage the roots to grow out in a more natural fashion (better support, better water and nutrient supply, etc). If it worked before, try it again.

My Goodwin Creek Grey died, too, branch by branch. It was in a pot - entirely possible it was over or under-watered, since children help me water and sometimes miss something, or drown it. I had taken 6-8 cuttings and rooted them. The earliest cuttings flowered. I am interested to see how the little plants from cuttings do this winter. I was going to try to winter them over in the attic - cool but not frozen, in a southern-facing window, with sparse watering until spring. I have other lavender cultivars in the ground, all of them in their first year in a new garden. I'm looking for which does best in our particular corner of the world.

I'm having the same issue with cuttings I took from my trees in S Florida in May, before moving to No. VA. I have them sitting dry in a warm room, and some have bloomed, all are developing leaves, but the stems are now shriveling. Should I put them in water? Or get them planted ASAP ? And should I make new end cuts?