a good start is to understand that it is not a shrub.. nor a tree ....it is a conifer .... each is pruning in a different manner ... once you understand what it is... it will be easier to learn about what you might want to do ... the best example of artful pruning would be bonsai ... what you want to do is the same principle... you just arent trying to shrink the plant ... google 'bonsai conifers' or some such thing ... flip over to the images page.. and just study the pix ... also ... find the latin name of the plant... again type what you know into google ... and then again.. flip to the images page.. and just look at how yours compares to what you see ... see if the muse of pruning strikes ... i am of the opinion.. that conifers will attain their own beauty on their own terms.. and dont really need me pruning them all into a perfect xmas tree shape .... yours is the first time i have run across a post by someone ... who like me... is thinking ... along the lines of.. the weirder the better .... or as you call it ... artful pruning ... the simplest guide i can give ... look at your hand... never cut off a finger at the nail .... or you will get weird growth at the tip .... if you want to remove something... remove a branch where it attaches to another branch ... or remove a finger at the hand ... and most important .... this is easily a ten year project .... you can always take more off later .... you cant put it back on .... good luck ken

if the green.. is as dull as it looks in the pic.. presume it dead and move on ... it should be a deep emerald green .. not a dusty khaki.... or give it another month to decide ... ken ps: latin would sure help ... its either not a cypress.. perhaps a false cypress .. or its the standard chameacyparis .... i wouldnt want to be presuming one thing .. and advising on another ... i know nothing about cypress ...

Faizan, How tall were these trees when you planted them ( the ones pictured without the privacy fence) Those seem to just have some branch die outs but, those smaller ones that are all brown are history. I live in zone 8 as well or about 4 hours North of the Gulf of Mexico in Alabama. The first pics of the small trees holes that were dug needed to be wider and deeper. I have to plant mine in impervious red clay-loam type soil that doesn't drain well (see my posts on GG's and Leland's) In your case, I'd dig it deeper so the trees roots have a softer bottom to grow in but when the trees are set back in the holes spread out the roots like an octopus would look like with it's tentacles all out. Make sure the root ball or trunk base is an inch or two above the ground grade and put back in the dirt you removed (minus the rocks) and walk it in to get rid of air pockets (don't stomp the dirt down). Depending on the soil moisture, that will depend on how much you water it in. Don't water log them. Put 2-3 inches of mulch around the root ball and outer drip line for a top dressing. Don't pile up the mulch around the trunk! I'd come back the next day and wet the mulch until you see it build up and go into the ground and stop. I don't see any need in making berms around the trees (unless the ground grade requires it) as this encourages water to pond in there if you get too much rain or watering. Check the trees in a few days as others have mentioned for moisture content. I'm going to get about 12 Italian's this Spring to plant but haven't found a good seller around me to purchase them. I've always read the smaller grow faster than the bigger when planting and it seems to be the status quo with Leland's and GG's so far. I hope this helps you out and please look at my posts regarding the planting and techniques I've put in place for problem soils down here. Let me know.

So sorry about not getting to your message sooner. It's repotting season and I'm really behind in answering Houzz mail. Did you mention where you live? I asked because care instructions are influenced by geography. A developing Acer p 'Mikawa yatsubusa' - image snapped minutes ago. It's raining, if you can't tell. The tree was about pencil thick when I acquired it. I gave it about 2 years of unrestrained (no pruning) growth in the training pot and first styled it in spring of '15. Generally speaking, what your maple looks like now is unimportant (answer to did I pick good trees) because only a tiny fraction of the mass you purchased will be a part of your bonsai. You choose deciduous and tropical broadleaf trees based on how their roots look. Having some very low branches is a big plus in some species that don't back-bud reliably. The trees you chose are in some respects easy because both practically get buds ON beds. IOW, they're prolific back-budders on not too old wood. The maple's branches get stiff and hard to wire very quickly, and the tree fattens quickly, so wire can't stay on the tree too long. Develop the maple from the bottom up. Let the lower branches thicken and ramify by restraining the top. Your tree will likely be made using only the first pair of branches above the soil, so treat the entire top above those branches as a sacrifice branch. It looks like there is one thick branch with a newly formed branch opposite (first pair of branches). What I would do: I would cut several branches off above the first pair so the first pair gets plenty of sunlight. Like this: Other than removing the branches just above the first pair to get light to your developing tree. you don't care about the top because it's coming off at some point. Prune the heavy branch moving to the right in the first image back to 1 pair of leaves. This should force buds to pop close to the trunk. The closest bud to the trunk that breaks on the fat branch will be the tree's temporary top/leader, so train it in the direction you want it to grow while it's very young. You won't likely have any success trying to grow your trees indoors. Re the Chamaecyparis: The entire top of the tree will go away when you chop it. Your tree is in the branches just inches from the soil line. Again, I would prune ALL branches that shade that small cluster of branches at the bottom. Wait for one of the low branches to prove it's vigor and remove the rest of the low branches. The branch you choose will be the part you develop into your tree. Ideally, you would find an experienced bonsai practitioner who is willing to look at the roots and suggest where the 'front of your tree should be and develop it accordingly. Roots are a very important part of your composition. In time, if you stick with bonsai, you'll find yourself grafting roots and branches to trees you want to keep in your collection; this, in order to improve their eye appeal. I hope what I said made sense to you? Al