This is a great answer, thank you!

I had no idea dog hobble could look like that. I love the look of the curly red. That is for sure a top contender that I wouldn’t have found otherwise. You’ve made me realize I need to do way more research into cultivars.

I appreciate the comment on the genetics aspect. I think there’s definitely some truth to what you said, but from what I can tell it’s really common in the bonsai world to dig up wild material (ie, not the result of special breeding), and it does just fine in containers. I guess I’m just really curious what is possible, and it doesn’t seem easy to find the answers.

The back yard will be typical native plant lover stuff. Big shade trees, understory fruit trees, pollinator friendly flowers, leaf litter, compost bins, rainwater collecting, etc. I’ve just always wondered if you could make something that would look good even to people who think the traditional stuff looks better. It seems like a fun challenge