First Time Driftwood- Need Advice

I'm taking the dive into real driftwood for the first time, and I'm hoping you kind folks can offer some tips and advice on curing, cutting, and placement.

I ordered 2 large (12 in) manzanita branches online. I would have liked to have thicker pieces, as the ends are rather thin, but I think I can make it work. I've read about soaking and using boiling water, so I am boiling (or close to it) now and I added the last of my aquarium salt to hopefully kill off anything. It is sandblasted as well. How long should I use boiling water to make sure it is safe?

As far as placement, I had hoped to have 2 pieces angling downward/ to the right, but one piece is very "branchy" and may not fit. I'm thinking I may have to angle both from either end of the tank, meeting in the middle like a V, but not sure if it would look ok? If I do it that way, it will be too tall for the tank and I'm not sure how to cut the stem. I could maybe lay them lengthwise, but not sure if it will go with the background I have (pic of current tank in profile). I haven't even begun to figure out what to do with my current rocks and plants, and I suspect I won't till I can get in there.

Can anyone offer and tips on curing driftwood? Or some pics of their tanks for inspiration? And how do you deal with branchy driftwood as far as cleaning goes?

 

You can just cut it with a saw. You may want to bleach the blade first, depending on what it has cut before.

 

So this is the tank with the driftwood- I'm not sure about rock placement, and I still have to rearrange the plants. For now, I mostly bunched them in the center to get them out of my way and give the fish a place to hide while I renovated. The bolbitius I put in a vase for now, as it wasn't attached to anything and just gets messy.

 

I like it. Do you use two heathers?

 

I like it. Do you use two heathers?

Yes, mostly as a backup. I'm almost liking the little island of green but I still think I need to spread the plants around some, and do something with the rocks