I am in North Texas so it probably gets colder here that where you are, but I cut ALL my inground brugs back to the ground and mulch. I then have an enormous amount of cuttings to share with those who can come pick them up. I am no longer able to mail them out. I think you would have to work at making a brug into a tree by keep the limbs trimmed that were growing on the main trunk. Good luck to you and perhaps someone with more knowledge of this will post with good advice.

carrie, I will have quite a few cuttings to share this year as well, because they freeze here too. I only have one kind right now, though, so that's all I can share. The thing about the root shoots is that they will get much taller, around 10 feet tall, and grow very straight. I have three of them, so I'm just going to cut one off and see if it will root.

Let us know the results.