Hi Rob, one of the most realistic things that you can try are small tree or shrub roots as the branches since they have extremely fine roots that in scale look like fine branches. You can get a cotton type of fabric at a hobby shop that you then pull apart to form the body of the leaf canopy , spread it around the branches. Then you can spray them with aerosol adhesive or dullcote and sprinkle ground parsley, oregano, or tea leaves onto them. It looks very realistic and if you want you can airbrush various shades of green onto your tree canopy for your finished look. Jim R