Ideas for (eventual) outdoor bonsai

[SvetSad]

Me and my boyfriend are renting a house, before the house was rented out, it was for sale, so everything that's in the yard (all the trees and shrubs and flowers) are from original owners.
The landlord doesn't care what is done to the yard as long as it still looks nice. So with that in mind...I have a few ideas of trying to make bonsai out of available matterials...
First is Lilac....
there's a big bush in the back yard, that hasn't been trimmed in a while, I trimmed all the dead branches and whatnot, but it still needs to be shaped. Before I cut any of the live branches I want to know how I could root them, and eventually make a bonsai out of it.
I love lilacs, it really reminds me of spring time in Russia, but since I've been living in the states I've always lived in the south where it's been too hot, and now that I live in the north, lilacs will really make me happy
[img]https://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/z375/SvetSad/Random/photobucket-36225-1332719617605.jpg[/img]

Another tree, that grows in front of the house, is what I beleive to be a japanese maple of some sort...
[img]https://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/z375/SvetSad/Random/photobucket-35116-1332719514568.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/z375/SvetSad/Random/photobucket-7270-1332719486141.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/z375/SvetSad/Random/photobucket-9948-1332718137488.jpg[/img]

The tree has 2 low hanging branches that before I cut I also want to "save"
[img]https://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/z375/SvetSad/Random/photobucket-38795-1332719646451.jpg[/img]

I'm not in much of a rush to do all this, so if it's not too late in the year to do air layering on either, I'd be willing to try that.

And I do have permission to cut branches. I just really can't bring myself to throw away cut live branches, if I can attempt to make more plants out of them

[tomc]

Lilac set seed. A tight clump can be a bit difficult to divide.

Acer palmatum disectum, your lace-leaf can be collected by airlayer.

Are both trained at times as bonsai? Yes.

[grumpa]

I'm late to the party ..but yes go for the air layer on both trees. Don't waste your time trying to layer those two skinny lower branches on the maple or same on the lilac. The purpose of layer is to get a good size specimen.Just use plenty of moist spag.moss ,wrap it good in clear and then black plastic.