IN THIS guidebook

An espalier fruit Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree filmdom can be a great elbow room to grow fruit in your small - space garden .

It can also aid you amend privateness , create a windbreak , or screen an ugly paries or fence or an unsightly view .

an espalier fruit tree trained against a grey fence

Espalier tree diagram may take a fiddling more alimony than standard tree diagram , but will take up less space , and often stray less shade , than fruit trees in other forms .

Their simple , flat kind can also make it prosperous for you to harvest the fruit from your trees .

learn on to discover all about these screens and how to make one yourself .

a barely fruiting espalier apple tree trained across metal wires with a brown fence in the background

What Is An Espalier Fruit Tree Screen?

The terminal figure ‘ espalier ’ is a Gallic Holy Scripture , which means ‘ something [ to allow ] shoulder joint support’.1Definition of espalier . ( n.d . ) . Inwww.dictionary.com . Retrieved March 17 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.dictionary.com/browse/espalier

Originally , the word was used to refer to the framework against which trees or plants were trained , but it has now come to touch on to both the structure and the plants themselves .

Any yield tree that is educate to get flat against a rampart , fence or other support bodily structure can be cite to as an espalier yield tree .

an Espalier apple tree against a brick wall

A pleached fruit tree is a related to concept – this is also all about spring up yield trees on a flat woodworking plane .

But with braid trees , the horizontal branches start high up the luggage compartment – forming a kind of raised screen that can work very well to improve privateness when positioned in front of a lower bulwark or fence .

Horizontal branches finally rise together to make a single form , which can be great as a summer privateness screen .

pleached pear tree growing against a limestone house

Positioning A Fruit Tree Screen

An espalier fruit tree diagram , or multiple trees , can be rank up against a wall or fence .

The orientation of the paries or fence is important because it will decide which fruit trees can successfully be acquire .

South or Rebecca West - facing structure are sunny and will reserve a wide range of fruit trees to be grown in this way – but there are also fruit trees that are suited for raise against shadier east - facing or even compass north - face walls .

pleached trees in a row with a moss-covered wall in the background

Another interesting matter to consider is that espalier yield trees do n’t just have to be restricted to the outer boundary of your garden .

By erecting a treillage as keep , or a series of stalwart posts to hold the support wires , you could potentially create an espalier yield tree screen to separate one part of your garden from another – to hide recycling bin , or provide privateness for a terrace or seating area , for example , or to make a series of garden room .

You might think that placing an espaliered yield Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree screen across your garden would make it feel smaller .

espaliered apple tree against a brick wall

But sometimes , partitioning your garden can have the opposite force and in reality make it sense bigger when placed in the right position .

Just be sure to think about the shade that it will cast , and check that it will not have a detrimental force on other plants you are growing or care to grow .

Choosing Your Fruit Trees

Most yield trees commonly grow in the UK can be espaliered to uprise flat against a wall , trellis or fence .

However , if you are trying to make an espalier fruit Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree projection screen , it is important to choose the right yield Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree or trees for the location .

Trees that will do comfortably on a sunny , S - front bulwark include :

blossoming espaliered tree that is partitioning two sections of a large garden

On any south , west or east - facing rampart , you will usually be able to spring up :

And on a shadier , N - look structure you may grow :

Typically , to create an integrated filmdom of trees , the trees you choose should be positioned around 3 m apart .

crabapple tree used as a partition screen

Preparing & Planting Espalier Fruit Trees

There are two options if you would like to create an espalier fruit tree diagram screen .

The first option is to purchase maiden whips and train these yourself into a flat frame .

By far the prosperous choice , however – and the most common – is to purchase young trees which have already been educate into this form .

espaliered pear branch with fence in background and fruits hanging alongside foliage

Ready train Tree already have branches which have been educate horizontally on their side of the main trunk .

you may buy these as unembellished - root specimens over the winter months , or buypot - grown yield treesfrom garden centres throughout the year .

normally , pre - take aim espalier fruit trees have two layers of horizontal branches , and will quickly grow to create three or four .

purple coloured plums growing horizontally

To prepare your espalier fruit tree diagram screen door :

1) Choose A Structure

Choose your existing wall or fence , or erect a new trellis support .

2) Install Your Framework

Install a fabric of around 4 horizontal wires , which match the space between the horizontal branches on the tree you have chosen .

Secure these horizontal wires firmly to the structure , using centre bolt or standardised .

3) Prepare A Planting Bed

ready a bed ( or place large containers ) at the base of the structure , a fiddling out from the fundament to avoid any pelting dark .

Dig holes for your fruit trees , around 15 cm out from the anatomical structure ( if grow in the priming coat ) . Or place your containers in the same position .

4) Plant Your Fruit Tree(s)

Plant your fruit trees , making sure that they sit at the same grade in the soil or grow medium as that at which they were originally planted .

Water well , and tauten the grime or growing average well around the trees .

Mulch well with compost / well - rotted manure or another constitutive material .

fan trained pear tree against a stone wall

5) Tie Side Branches

Use string to draw side branches at several places onto the horizontal wires you have placed .

If possible use natural twine rather than plastic for environmental reasons – hemp / flax twine is one good option to consider for an eco - friendly garden .

“ There are now many rude twines to opt from and there are thicker twines now available that are perfect for tying   in large arm , ” adds Master Horticulturist Colin Skelly .

a nursery with lots of trees being trained horizontally for future sale

“ These will last 2 - 3 years and can be checked during pruning to see if they need exchange .

“ Alternatively , leather   strips also make a long - lasting alternative . ”

Pruning Espaliered Fruit Trees

The main occupation when creating and maintaining an espalier fruit tree diagram CRT screen is trim .

After planting your espalier yield tree , leave the main stem to grow through its first springtime / summer .

The following wintertime , prune the fundamental shoot down to the next support wire .

magnified view of a wire to be used for espaliering a fruit tree

allow for three healthy bud to form your central leader , and two side ramification , which can then be bind into this next support wire .

Repeat this process the undermentioned year , so branch can be link into the upper support conducting wire .

Between July and September , maintenance pruning involves prune the shoots grow from horizontal arm . leave behind just 3 - 4 foliage on each .

digging a bed for a fruit tree

Shoots growing from the main stem should also be bowdlerise to around 3 leaves .

Over time , continue to tie down new growth at the end of horizontal branches to the wires on your financial support , to stop them from growing vertically .

Continue to prune , water supply and provide nutrients for your espalier fruit tree over metre and you should be able to keep them in check , tidy and generative .

watering a freshly planted fruit tree

They should provide a screen while the leaves are on the tree , and an attractive – though bare – architectural form in winter .

And they should provide plenty of yield for you and your family , even in the smallest of space .

If you want to make the most of all the space that is uncommitted to you , then choosing check Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree can certainly be an interesting option to turn over for your garden .

branches of a tree tied to a metal wire

And call up , the trees wo n’t just provide an comestible yield – they can also cede a compass of other benefits and can ameliorate the amenity in your garden .

References

hands holding secateurs pruning branches of an apple tree

two people tying branches to espalier wire

an espaliered tree in winter with bare branches