Hi james,
I think this looks better than the cascade. I still like it better without the top but that's just my personal opinion. I can imagine that you prefer it like it is. I never saw anyone use a piece of wood like you did. Interesting technique. I guess you will be able to remove it when the trunk thickens. Just for the fun of it I made two virtuals of your tree. One with and one without the top. I added a Tokoname pot too.
Good luck and have fun,
René
without the top :
