Tim
That apex has 2 natural jins and no leader.
Here's the tree last September.
You can see how close the growth is to the trunk and the jins. I quite like the idea of the jinned apex. What do you think?
This photo was actually taken yesterday, so there's not THAT much growth yet that I could try something a bit wild. Larch are super hardy. I've had few problems with wiring, potting and even collecting whenever and wherever.
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I'll have a look at the branches you marked and see what's possible there. This tree is very "upright" so taking a leader from a side branch is always going to be a tricky one task - like taking a branch facing exactly forward so as to hide the bump. If it had a little more movement or even a lean, the side branch leader is far easier to achieve.
Jerry