Certain trees are an acquired taste, much like fine wine. I often joke with my clients that anyone can grow and appreciate a tree that grows straight up, but it takes a special person to grow and appreciate one that crawls along the ground, twists or grows up before diving back to the ground. If these trees could talk, I feel sure that they would draw us into a conversation, share wisdom and tell some unforgettable stories. Sound intriguing?

Most gardeners are familiar with the old standbys, such as weeping willow, weeping cherry and Harry Lauder's Walking Stick. Perhaps you, however, are looking for something a little different, something to express your individuality. Allow me to introduce you to 10 of my favorites and share how to use them to make them truly yours. Jay Sifford Garden Design Pendulous Norway Spruce
(Picea abies 'Pendula')

This spruce is a true workhorse in the garden. Nursery growers will generally stake this tree to a height of 6 to 8 feet. The tree is then free to express its individuality as it turns and gradually heads back to the ground, developing unique twists, turns and cascades. No two are alike, so it's important to select the tree firsthand, taking into consideration how its shape will enhance the overall design of your garden.

I have four of these in my garden. Three are displayed on a high ridge and named "The Elders" because they remind me of austere old men.

USDA zones: 2 to 8 (find your zone)
Water and soil requirements: Average water; well-draining soil
Light requirement: Full to partial sun
Mature size: Generally 8 to 10 feet tall, depending on how the plant is staked
When to plant: Fall or spring Jay Sifford Garden Design Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar
(Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca Pendula')

This North African cedar is another workhorse in the garden. The species comes in many different forms, all wonderful, but most specialty nurseries will generally carry one of two weeping forms: either trained in a serpentine pattern and staked, or in a hooked pattern in which the tree bends and heads back toward the ground. Its powdery blue foliage is a perfect complement to the burgundy foliage of a Crimson Queen Japanese maple or a purple smoke bush. It is a slow grower but can eventually become quite large, so some training and pruning will be necessary.

I created a living fence in my garden using five of these weepers trained along a horizontal pole. It's a wonderful backdrop for my perennials. A lone specimen is also great for anchoring of bed of burgundy heucheras, zones 4 to 9, or low-growing Purple Pixie loropetalums, zones 7 to 10. Add a patch of Japanese iris, zones 4 to 9, as the contrast between the weeping tree and the vertical iris makes a real statement.

USDA zones: 6 to 9
Water and soil requirements: Average water; well-draining soil
Light requirement: Full to partial sun
Mature size: 10 feet tall and 15 feet wide in 20 years unless pruned; larger with age
When to plant: Fall or spring Jay Sifford Garden Design Cascade Falls Bald Cypress
(Taxodium distichum 'Cascade Falls')

Bald cypress is an amazing conifer, partly because it is one of the few conifers that is deciduous. This weeping variety has delicate fern-like foliage that emerges chartreuse in the spring and turns a rich orange in autumn. It also develops amazing cones in late summer and has beautiful exfoliating bark. A bonus is that this tree will grow in very wet soil as well as average soil. If your garden has a challenging wet spot, this tree could be the one for you.

If you have an arbor in your garden, try one of these trained up instead of a pedestrian vine to cover the structure. Your clematis-loving friends will be envious.

USDA zones: 4 to 10
Water and soil requirements: Wet to average soil
Light requirement: Full to partial sun
Mature size: Generally 8 feet tall, depending on how the plant is staked
When to plant: Fall or spring Jay Sifford Garden Design Twisty Baby Black Locust
(Robinia pseudoacacia 'Lace Lady')

This tree grows like a more upright form of Harry Lauder's Walking Stick, reaching an average height of 15 feet. It is a great patio tree that is guaranteed to start a conversation. This locust can be pruned to encourage contorted growth and to control shape and size. The foliage is quite attractive, with bright green panicles of small round foliage hanging from the branches. The foliage turns yellow in autumn.

I grow mine in a large pot to give it more presence in my garden.

USDA zones: 4 to 9
Water and soil requirements: Average, well-draining soil
Light requirement: Full to partial sun
Mature size: 15 tall and wide if unpruned
When to plant: Fall or spring Jay Sifford Garden Design Ryusen Japanese Maple
(Acer palmatum 'Ryusen')

This is one truly outstanding maple, unlike any other. You will find it at specialty nurseries, generally staked to a height of 5 to 10 feet. It heavily weeps when it reaches its desired height. The foliage is green and turns a beautiful yellow-orange in autumn. This maple is stunning planted beside a pond, where it reaches down to, and is reflected in, the water. It also looks great grown in a tall ceramic pot, lending an Asian look to a garden.

USDA zones: 5 to 9
Water requirement: Average
Light requirement: Partial sun
Mature size: Up to 10 feet tall, depending on how the plant is staked
When to plant: Fall or spring Jay Sifford Garden Design Weeping Canadian Hemlock
(Tsuga canadensis 'Pendula')

This group of spreading conifers has visually elevated arthritis to an art form. Some specimens creep along the ground, meandering and fanning outward. Others are staked upright, then cascade gently back to the earth. All are worth growing. Cultivars to look for include Sargeant's Weeping, Cole's Prostrate and Verkode's Recurva. As with the Norway spruce, it is best to handpick this tree for your specific space. Use extra care when transporting these because some cultivars are quite brittle.

A caution regarding hemlocks: if you live in an area of the country that has been invaded by the dreaded bug called woolly adelgid, you may want to skip over this group of conifers. Most of these hemlocks remain relatively small and could be sprayed if necessary.

USDA zones: 4 to 8
Water requirement: Average
Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade
Mature size: Generally from 2 to 8 feet tall, depending upon the cultivar and how the plant is staked
When to plant: Fall or spring Jay Sifford Garden Design Blue Snake Deodar Cedar
(Cedrus deodara 'Blue Snake')

This conifer is a dwarf among the deodars, reaching a 10-year height of 8 feet. It may be found in two forms: either staked until the central leader strengthens, making it effectively an upright but weeping tree, or more interestingly grown unstaked and left to meander across the ground in true snake-like fashion. Its bluish foliage gives it extra impact as it wanders down pathways and in between perennials. I grow mine in a tall ceramic pot, allowing it to fall overboard.

USDA zones: 7 to 9
Water and soil requirements: Average, well-draining soil
Light requirement: Full to partial sun
Mature size: Up to 8 feet in height within 10 years if staked; larger with age. If unstaked, 1 foot tall, trailing to 15 feet.
When to plant: Fall or spring Jay Sifford Garden Design Ruby Falls Redbud
(Cercis canadensis 'Ruby Falls')

This newly introduced redbud combines the beautiful foliage of the Forest Pansy redbud with a beautiful weeping form. The tree blooms prolifically in early spring, with clusters of small pink flowers tightly hugging the bare branches. Beautiful large heart-shaped foliage then emerges, dark purple at first and finally turning dark green toward to end of the summer.

Ruby Falls makes a wonderful small patio tree, generally reaching a height of 8 feet before cascading back toward the ground. It would look great behind a mass planting of Blue Star junipers, zones 4 to 8, perhaps with an accent of 'Kim's Knee High' coneflower, zones 4 to 9. Jay Sifford Garden Design Another similar-size redbud cultivar to seek out is 'Whitewater'. This weeping redbud, which appears to be a weeping form of 'Floating Clouds', boasts heavily variegated white and green foliage, perfect for underplanting with Patriot Hosta, zones 3 to 9, and Visions-In-White Astilbe, zones 3 to 8, or perhaps backed by Casa Blanca lilies, zones 5 to 8, in a white garden.

USDA zones: 6 to 9
Water and soil requirements: Moist, well-draining soil
Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade
Mature size: 8 to 10 feet tall, depending on how the plant was staked
When to plant: Fall or spring Jay Sifford Garden Design Alaskan Cedar
(Chamaecyparis nootkatensis)

This unique conifer species can look quite majestic or even a bit ghoulish, especially if backlit against the setting sun. Heavily weeping, dark green fern-like foliage earns this tree a place in almost every garden. There are some wonderful cultivars, such as 'Pendula' and 'Green Arrow', but my favorite is 'Van den Akker'. This cultivar reaches an average height of 20 to 30 feet, yet a width of only 2 feet after the lower juvenile branches are removed. It is spectacular when planted in groups of three, as each tree has a slightly different weeping habit. Planted this way they almost look like a group of people huddled in conversation.

USDA zones: 4 to 8
Water and soil requirements: Moist to average soil
Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade
Mature size: 30 feet tall and 2 feet wide
When to plant: Fall or spring Jay Sifford Garden Design Raywood's Weeping Arizona Cypress
(Cupressus glabra 'Raywood's Weeping')

This beautiful bluish-gray weeping form of 'Blue Ice' is a star in the garden. Lovely branchlets hang straight down from the main trunk. A well-behaved narrow tree that should be staked to its desired form, Raywood's Weeping will reach an average height of 12 to 15 feet in 10 years in the garden. Two are great placed on either side of a garden entryway, as they will naturally form a living arch. I cannot say enough good things about this wonderfully unique tree.

USDA zones: 5 to 9
Water and soil requirements: Average, well-draining soil
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 15 feet tall
When to plant: Fall or spring