Trees, Shrubs and Conifers: Plagiotropic growth of Sourwood, 1 by Pistil

Pistil wrote:
I wanted some Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum) trees. I remembered the beautiful fall leaves from when I lived and hiked in the east. I was so happy to find Sourwood on various lists of recommended trees for the Seattle area, such as Great Plant Picks from a local arboretum, but I never saw them in anyone's yard. I would be the first!
Most nurseries did not have any Sourwood, and workers looked confused when I asked. Finally I found some saplings for sale. The knowledgeable nursery worker said the owner had grown them from cuttings, but because he had used side branches the new trees were tending to have sideways growth, and were not developing a central leader. He thought eventually the trees would revert to a more normal growth form. That has not happened. Each year I stake and prune a bit, to help the trees along, without any real success. By the end of the summer the new "leader" is going sideways again, and the trunk has strange kinks from all these direction changes.
Is there any hope? I have been reading about this in my Propagation textbook. This sideways (plagiotropic) growth from lateral branch cuttings is apparently noticed in some plants like yew, Norfolk Island Pine and Podocarpus. It is sometimes done on purpose to produce a weeping plant.
This effect of source plant propagule position on the growth of the progeny is called topophysis. Upright growth of progeny after using upright growth of source plant for cutting is called orthotropic growth.
Anybody know the answer to this one? I am thinking I should cut my losses and rip the poor things out and plant a vine maple. I don't want a weeping Sourwood (but it would be a first!).