Would branches grow straight to the ground if allowed?

Ulmus glabra 'Camperdownii'

They usually have a pretty sculptural understory as well.

Lane, I did see one at Klehm Arb in Rockford, IL, that was similar in size to mine, but branching extended to ground. The appealing peeling bark is attractive, which led me to raise it. BTW, it was planted in 2011.

Gardengal, that is quite a specimen. I know there are (or were) some grand old specimens in southern WI, but I rarely see this tree. How old would you venture that one is?

I have no idea as those were just samples I pulled from online images :-)

But there are a couple of old venerable specimens at a local old mill town that bear a close resemblance afa size is concerned and these also have a very similar sculptural undercarriage. They were planted in 1875.

If you have issues with elm leaf beetles, then this is not the tree for you :-) They are not all that common here but when they do show up, they decimate the tree!

Betula pendula ‘Youngii’.

There's a history of Eastern gray squirrels attacking the bark of branches of Camperdown elm at the Seattle arboretum. Weeping white mulberry has a similar general appearance to Camperdown elm.

I like those dwarf river birches, they grow pretty fast and don't become forest trees like the regular forms. I think quite a few homeowners were surprised when the nice clump of river birch the landscaper put at the corner of the house is now a huge clump of leaning trees... the dwarf form would have been much more appropriate.

Camperdown elm used to be more common here on the East coast but all the ones I know of have died, probably from Dutch Elm Disease, so it's rarely ever planted any more.

My favorite for that low broad form would probably be kousa or American dogwood, but crabapples, some magnolia, larger Japanese maples, redbuds... you could have a lot of fun if you have the room!

"I think quite a few homeowners were surprised when the nice clump of river birch the landscaper put at the corner of the house is now a huge clump of leaning trees... the dwarf form would have been much more appropriate."

That's exactly the situation my s- & b-i-l are currently facing. Their house is about twenty years-old and the 4-stem river birch, which was planted way too close, is leaning into and over the house. There aren't a lot of trees on the property, and to make matters worse, this spring they had to remove two dying ash trees that were also planted when home was new. They'd like to take down the birch, but dread the thought of removing another larger tree.

"...gray squirrels attacking the bark of branches of Camperdown elm at the Seattle arboretum."

I've never heard of such a thing and wondering why they'd do that. Nasty, radical squirrels! ;)

Katob, I agree a gardener could have fun doing something like this if space permitted. Dwarf conifer collections are common in arboreta, but I've never seen a specific collection of deciduous dwarf trees.

How 'bout sourwood? 13 yrs old. Well, prb'ly not hardy in z4:

Beng, sourwood is one I've never tried. I've never seen one within 300 miles of where I live, but that doesn't mean it couldn't work. I stayed in a cottage while visiting Kentucky many years ago and there was a very nice 20' specimen on the grounds. Is this tree popular with the gardening public in the southern U.S.?

The U of Minnesota arb had a dwarf Kentucky Coffee Tree several years ago, but not sure if it's still around. I was hoping they'd eventually release it to the public, but it probably failed to stay small. Anyone familiar with it?