Have you always dreamed of having a fruit tree laden with citrus, apples or figs but fear you are too limited on space? Or perhaps you have a barren wall or fence that, like a blank canvas, is screaming out for some creative coverage, but you haven’t quite found the inspiration? The solution to either scenario may lie in an artful horticulture technique first developed by the ancient Egyptians and refined and perfected in the Middle Ages by Europeans, and it’s called espalier.
Think of espalier as a bit of bonsai, or artificially keeping a plant small in size, mixed with a touch of topiary, or training a plant’s shape — in this case into a single plane — all through careful pruning. However you describe it, the result is a tree or shrub that grows short and flat rather than tall and round, can cover that unsightly wall in a very compact manner—and still yield a hefty harvest.
“Any sort of wall that is living has some immediate advantages over other [static] alternatives, like fountains, wall art, etc.” says Ron Vanderhoff of Roger’s Gardens nursery in Newport Beach. “Plant espaliers are living, and living plants provide environmental cooling, absorb light and sound and provide habitat. Plants also have a unique and underappreciated advantage over almost all other decorative alternatives, and that is that they change and evolve. It may bloom at certain times, have fruit at another time and show variation in the leaf size, shape and color throughout the year. It may show some degree of fall color, and it may even drop its leaves in the cool, dark winter months, only to burst out with fresh ones the following spring. This constant change is an advantage that is often overlooked.”
Not to mention how easy it is to harvest fruit from a tree that’s, well, flat as a pancake.
So what about the disadvantages? Is it difficult to create and maintain an espalier plant? “Espaliered plants need maintenance; in fact, all plants do, at least to some degree,” says Vanderhoff. “An espalier likely will need more pruning and attention that most other plants, due to its somewhat unusual growth. Most of the disadvantages, however, are the same as any other plant: poor design and selection.”
A plant that naturally wants to grow to 12 feet that’s crammed into a 6-foot space is a frustrating situation, says Vanderhoff, so consider dwarf or semi-dwarf varieties. Same goes for a sun-loving plant put into a shady spot, or a fruit tree variety that’s happy in Seattle, but completely unproductive in Southern California. Consult an expert, and choose wisely.
Vanderhoff isn’t just talking the talk. “I have seven espaliered citrus in my own garden, including a few different mandarins (aka “tangerines”), a lemon and a grapefruit. If selected properly, it is possible to have fresh citrus nearly all year in our climate. No other fruit tree can make that claim. I’m also a fan of certain apple varieties. They make excellent espaliers on sunny walls. The varieties selected need to be very thoughtful. There are even differences between a coastal garden and a garden 10 miles from the water. Selection and varieties are everything in the fruit world, and they have to fit your microclimate to be successful.”
Well-stocked nurseries are likely to have at least a few pre-pruned specimens supported by small wooden trellises, or they can special-order one for you. This is not only a time-saver but can help you avoid the daunting task of taking home a tree and having to go at it like Edward Scissorhands. If you do choose to do the initial pruning yourself, again, seek out some expert advice.
After you’ve made your selection but before planting it, the next, and critically important, step is to create a support system for the tree. You can use a basic wooden trellis, or purchase inexpensive adhesive supports, but Vanderhoff doesn’t recommend it. “The most important part is to decide how you are going to support the plant right from the beginning,” he says. “Are you going to put up a wood or metal frame in front of the wall? Are you going to put concrete bolts and screws into the wall? Perhaps you are going to install a sturdy cable system on the wall. Whatever the decision is, know that 10 years from now, that little plant is going to still be depending upon the decision you make today. And once the plant is in place and mature, it is not an easy process to replace a cheap wood trellis that has rotted away or broken under the weight of the plant.”
How to do it
One sturdy support method is to set two fence posts either into the ground or attached with perpendicular bracing to the fence or wall, 6 to 8 inches from the structure. (This distance will allow for air circulation for the plant and provide you with access to the back side for pruning, and training.) Starting about 18 inches off the ground, screw eye bolts into each post and continue upward at roughly one-foot intervals. Finally, run wire (ideally something rust-resistant, such as aircraft cable) horizontally between the eye bolts. A turnbuckle at one end of each wire will allow you to tighten the wire and adjust it if it becomes slack.
You can get creative when training your tree’s branches into a variety of shapes. Some of the classics are the “fence” (branches extending horizontally at 90-degree angles from the trunk); “candelabra” (branches growing horizontally, but with the tips turned upward at 90 degrees); “fan” (branches extending upward at 45-degree angles from the trunk); or “cordon” (multiple espalier trees planted side-by-side with branches extending upward at 45 degrees and overlapping in a diagonal cross-hatch pattern). Whatever the shape, the key is to start with a young and flexible plant and then secure the branches with twine or gardener’s stretch tape to the support structure into the desired shape.
And just because you don’t have even a small yard doesn’t mean you’re out of luck, says Vanderhoff. “Espalier plants can be grown in containers as easily as in the ground. If you have a small space, a patio, a balcony even, an espalier can be grown.”
There are books and online tutorials on the art of espalier, but for some real-world examples and inspiration, Vanderhoff suggests a visit to Sherman Library and Gardens in Newport Beach. “It is a beautiful place,” he says, “overflowing with inspiration, and they have many excellent examples of well-maintained espaliered plants.”
Happy pruning!
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How to grow healthy fruit trees in limited space using espalier - OCRegister
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