arbor day trees (eastern redbud, w. hawthorn) pruning?

About 2 year's ago I got some "free" flowering trees and shrubs from the arbor day foundation for a small donation. 2 types of these bare root tree's that I planted are growing like crazy. An eastern redbud and 2 washington hawthorn's both need some serious pruning, and I don't really know how. They are maybe reaching for the later afternoon sun beyond a pvc fence and will need to be relocated etc. to a better spot (the other redbud and dogwood in the front yard has not grown much at all)
-Any suggested sites, maybe with pictures to prune these saplings.

Thanks

Redbud is Cercis. They can grow as trees (single trunk) or multi-trunked. They usually do not grow too many branches too close to each other, but some light thinning might help the occasional branch that is heading into the center of the tree.

Hawthorn is Crataegus. There are many species and many, many varieties. Most grow as trees, and many tend to stay narrow with the branches growing almost vertically. This can make the center of the tree too crowded, so early pruning is directed toward developing one main trunk and spreading branches.

I've got some idea's from doing a little research, but am still not sure about the hawthorns. The washington hawthorns have what I think is the main trunk "central leader" growing up to about 3 or 4'' and then starts into a crazy spiral twist. From it's own weight at the crazy top it's bending all the way back to the ground. This might be reaching for later afternoon sun beyond the solid PVC fenced that it's near. Ultimately this is not the right site for this tree and I'll have to decide where to move it etc.

-How do I get things back on track? If I cut the main leader back isn't that the undesirable "topping" or ...

Thanks

-

You could stake it. Stake it so it is upright, but leave it loose enough to wiggle around in the wind.
Pruning by topping would encourage more side branches, and the one that is closest to the top of the stem would grow most upright and take on the leader position. Hawthorns do this pretty well. Topping a young one is not too bad. The branches growing lower down are OK for a while, they are helping to thicken the stem into a trunk. But eventually you want a tree (not a bush- right?) Let the lower branches grow for a year or two, then you should start removing these branches, one or two each year, gradually higher and higher until the branching is high enough to walk under.

Full sun is optimum for Crataegus. They can grow pretty leggy in shade. Are there other, taller plants creating the shade?
You could transplant it to a better place, or you could thin or remove the plants that are shading it. Once it becomes a real tree, would these other plants be OK under it?

Thanks,
I got to do something. I've just been avoiding it because I was not sure, perhaps in the long run this tree should be relocated.

You could post some pictures of the plants, perhaps others would add comments about pruning ideas, and whether or not to transplant.