Mugo pine choice for niwaki?

[ijsnyder]

Hello!
I would like to train a niwaki specimen on a garden slope into a shape resembling “semi cascade,” with about a width of 1.5 m (4-5 feet).
Does anyone have a sense of whether I would benefit from either the vigor of the species Mugo pine, or instead by choosing a cultivar that more closely matches my desired tree size (say, pumilio or mops)?

I appreciate the openness to a bit of a noob question. I’ve read Jake Hobson’s niwaki book but beyond that find it difficult to find information on niwaki - and I’m struggling in particular to understand the relationship between the desired niwaki specimen size and the size of the chosen tree species/cultivar.

 

[sorce]

Welcome to Crazy!

That large, a standard mugo would be fine. At least I like the way they look.

Sorce

 

[Adair M]

You can train a Mugo to be any shape you want. They are rather slow growers, though.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

the vigor of the species Mugo pine

The what now?!
I like mugo, but they're not very vigorous to be honest. From all the pines in my back yard, none are slower than mugo.

Pumillo has the better foliage, but they usually have multiple trunks eminating from the same spot. Mughus is bigger, but has a more pine like growth pattern.