Growing Espaliered Fruit Trees and other Shrubs
 (Read 100+ times)
By Catherine Smith
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Espalier (ess-PAL-yer) is an ancient art form of training both trees and shrubs primarily against a wall or fence and combines form and function, and aesthetics with micromanagement. This technique was developed in France and England in the 16th century, because of the need for larger harvests of growing fruit. While this technique used primarily on dwarf apple and/or pear trees, as well as many ornamental shrubs and plants.
Espaliered plants can be used to create a focal point and as a form of art. In an area where space is limited or where a plant is needed to accent a large blank wall an espaliered plant can be an outstanding landscape feature. A mature espalier plant will catch the eye of almost any visitor to your home.
There are many styles espalier but I will mention, at this point, only the six most basic espalier styles include Cordon, Palmetto Verrier, Fan, Informal, Belgian Fence, and Brooklyn Botanical or Candelabra. Each one is quite unique in shaping the growth of the tree, shrub or plant.
Cordon, is the most traditional form and can be used as a very attractive garden area divider. Is consist of a single cordon, also known as "rope," or can be done as multicordon, generally with three tiers of branches. The multicordon takes as long two to three years to reach fruition. These may also take longer to mature in the northern areas of the eastern seaboard of the United States because of the shorten growing period.
Palmetto Verrier consist of using vertical branching which adds an especially attractive area between trees planted against a wall or fence. Horizontally trained branches are gradually trained into upright positions. Design can take up to three years to reach fruition
Fan, is will cover a square space and is very suitable for areas requiring vertical coverage; This particular style can have clear definition within one year. Branches angled at 45 can be raised or lowered for greatest fruit yield.
Informal, this is a more natural shape; requires simple pruning to keep on a two-dimensional plane. It is easier to train and also the pruning to more easily balance the tree's aesthetic symmetry as the branches begin to grow.
Belgian fence, one of the most formal looking styles. It is a series of inter twining lattice works. Requires three trees or more to create overlapping Vs and two modified Vs to create finished ends. It is very easy to see the beginning design of overlapping Vs is well outlined within a years time.
Brooklyn Botanica, also known as "Candelabra ." It is fairly easy to train and maintain and a good starting point for beginners. Several vertical branches stem off one horizontal base.
Initially an espaliered plant can be a high maintenance addition to the landscape. Patience, skill, and creativity are necessary for a successful project. Large, fast growing plants such as a pear tree will require a large wall and will need many hours of pruning and training. On the other hand, a sasanqua camellia grows much slower and can be managed in a small area. If you espalier a fruit tree (apple, pear), select a cultivar that produces a large number of spurs and is grafted onto a dwarf or semi-dwarf rootstock. Grafting will not affect the size of the leaves or fruit but will reduce the overall size of the plant. Fruit such as plums and cherries can be espaliered but they bear their fruit on shoots from the previous season's growth. Renewal pruning is necessary to ensure a continuous crop. Many vines (Boston ivy, English ivy, wisteria, climbing roses) can be trained as an espalier plant.
Trees and shrubs to consider include:
Anise
Anise spp.
Apple
Malus sp.
Blue atlas cedar
Cedrus atlantica Glauca'
Camellia
Camellia japonica
Chinese redbud
Cercis chinensis
Cotoneaster
Cotoneaster sp.
Crabapple
Malus sp.
Euonymus, Winged
Euonymus alata
Fig
Ficus carica
Forsythia
Forsythia spp.
Ginkgo
Ginkgo biloba
Hibiscus
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
Holly, Foster
Ilex x attentuata Fosteri'
Holly, Japanese
Ilex crenata
Jasmine, Winter
Jasminum nudiflorum
Juniper,Pfitzer
Juniperus chinensis 'Pfitzeriana'
Juniper, Sargent
Juniperus chinensis Sargenti'
Kerria, Japanese
Kerria japonica
Loropetalum
Loropetalum chinense
Magnolia, Little Gem
Magnolia grandiflora Little Gem'
Magnolia, Saucer
Magnolia soulangiana
Magnolia, Star
Magnolia stellata
Magnolia, Sweetbay
Magnolia virginiana
Maple, Japanese
Acer palmatum
Pear
Pyrus spp.
Pyracantha
Pyracantha sp.
Quince, Flowering
Chaenomeles lagenaria
Sasanqua
Camellia sasanqua
Stewartia; Korean
Stewartia koreana
Viburnum
Viburnum sp.
Weigela
Weigela florida
Yew
Taxus sp.
However, many nurseries now carry a large variety of various fruit trees and plants that have already been shaped into an espaliered form.
Some of the benefits of growing fruits and trees this way are as follows:
One of the benefits of using espaliers is to save space. An espaliered fruit tree provides loads of fruit in a fraction of the volume of a natural tree.
Secondly, an espaliered tree bears earlier than a natural tree, bears much more heavily (in spite of the reduced number of branches), and bears for a longer time. A well-trained espalier often remains fruitful for over a hundred years. The reason for these three phenomena is the same in each case. An espaliered tree is pruned and trained so that all of its energies are concentrated in the production of fruit-bearing wood. Once the skeleton or 'chassis' of the tree is established, all the gardener's efforts focus on the development of vital, healthy fruiting wood.
Third, an espaliered fruit tree is naturally healthier than a natural tree. Air circulation through the tree is greatly enhanced by the practice, greatly diminishing the incidence of bacterial and fungal diseases without ever laying hold of the sprayer. Second, the frequent attentions of the gardener required to maintain the espalier mean that he or she spots problems early on and applies appropriate interventions more promptly. An espaliered fruit tree is much easier and faster to harvest. Likewise, any necessary treatments can be applied more quickly and easily, and with a lesser volume of spray than on a natural tree.
Finally, the interesting part, from an aesthetic point of view. An espaliered fruit tree becomes a piece of landscape sculpture. It is beautiful in all seasons of the year: in winter, when the geometry of the skeletal structure is most apparent; in spring, when that same structure is accentuated with drifts of blossom; and in summer and fall, when the espalier is ornamented with developing and ripening fruit.
The art of espalier also allows you to solve vexing landscape problems in interesting ways. For instance, no prettier enhancement to a tall, bare house wall exists than to train an espaliered fruit tree against it. Even if the wall has windows, you can choose a form that artfully frames them. And best of all, horizontal space is not an issue, as the espalier will cling flat against the wall. At the same time, an espalier will not harm the wall of your house as will many climbing plants with holdfasts.
Espaliered fruit trees can also be used as elegant screens and fences. Free-standing forms make incredibly beautiful vertical accents in any garden-living sculptures that provide not only a feast for the eyes, but for the tongue and tummy as well.
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Author Bio Box: Catherine Smith
You can visit my site at: http://www.Helium.com
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