Restyle - Juniper

Hi All,
Just thought i'd share some pictures of my Juniper. After some bounced around ideas, i decided to go with this new look.
Front:

Back:

Right:

Left:


I am also asking the questions,
1) Should i keep the idea of the dead wood through the canopy?
or should i just cut it off and leave a smaller tree?
2) Is it worth air layering the top of this?? or should i cut it off and have all the nutrients to the main styled area??!!



THANKS for looking,
Bryan

Personally, to get away from that pom-pom tassel on the top and the long, bare trunk between the bottom and top of the tree, I'd chop just above your deadwood, then rewire the deadwood straighter (black dots and arrow). This would give you the start of a nice shohin/mame and the image of a nice fat trunk.

Bryan you are on the money with all of that!!! The jin above the tree should stay, its a corka! You could layer the top off, although i would style it first and layer next year. Yes you would be juggling and sharing the energy. Alternatively it would also probably strike as a cutting. Well done for finding the best tree in this material.

Thanks for the comments!
I am definitely going to lose the top of the tree. Why cut it off and loose it when I can have two from one!!?
My plan is to air layer that top bit off next year. Not sure if I'm able to repot it into something more suitable (smaller pot) before taking off the layer??
Then hopefully try and refine some of the foliage.

Will all of this on a smaller tree be too much ??

Ta
Bryan

Hello Bryan. If airlayering is your intention, then I would leave it in its present pot. The airlayer will strike a lot quicker if the original roots are left undisturbed. Let the foliage above grow unhindered as well.

OTOH, there's nothing much to write home about in the upper 2/3 of the tree. I'd simply chop it.