Grow fruit trees in small spaces with the trick known as espalier

By JESSICA DAMIANO If you d love to grow fruit trees but think you don t have the space think again You don t need an orchard or even a large backyard to enjoy garden-picked fruit Instead use a method perfected by Louis XIV s gardeners back in the s at Versailles when cold windy winters not a lack of space inspired them to train trees to grow flat against walls Their goal was to use the masonry as a windbreak and insulator but the method they called espalier also made excellent use of a tiny footprint The trees form maximized their exposure to sunlight and also enabled the trees to withstand chilly temperatures better than their untrained cousins Surprisingly perhaps they also produced more fruit Which trees are good for espalier Largest part trees with long flexible branches such as apple cherry fig peach pear plum and quince lend themselves nicely to the espalier method Even ornamental trees like magnolia firethorn and witch hazel are good candidates The name espalier comes from French indicating something to lean a shoulder against as the trees lean on their supports This undated image provided by Missouri Botanical Garden shows a mature espaliered dwarf Moonglow pear tree in the Kemper Center for Home Gardening at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St Louis Tom Incrocci Missouri Botanical Garden via AP But the th century French didn t invent espalier it is held to have been practiced in the Middle Ages and even as far back as ancient Egypt The Versailles gardeners however gave the method a name and fame How it works Training an espalier tree requires equal parts pruning and patience You remove undesired branches and coax the remainder to grow sideways by affixing them to walls or fencing with wires or frames until they submit to the process and adapt to the pattern Trees will send up shape-spoiling shoots that will continually need to be clipped but the desired branches will take longer to establish To accelerate advance apply a dose of high-nitrogen fertilizer look for a ratio of - - or - - on the package label three times per season in mid spring early summer and late summer This image provided by Planting Fields Foundation shows a free-standing espaliered pear tree at Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park in Oyster Bay N Y Planting Fields Foundation via AP Don t expect flowers or fruit during this stage which can take several years The point of the fertilizer is to force the trees to direct largest part of their force on improvement not production When the tree has achieved the shape and size you desire switch to a fertilizer specifically formulated for fruit trees and cut down the frequency to just one application per year in spring following the dosage recommended on the package If growing a non-fruiting tree seek out a product intended for the species The method however can lead to increased pest and illness problems as growing a tree pressed against a wall will restrict air flow around it So be sure to monitor trees closely and address issues fleetly if they arise All that TLC will pay off with a beautiful living garden sculpture - and a great story to tell as you await your juicy harvest Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter You can sign up here for weekly gardening tips and advice For more AP gardening stories go to https apnews com hub gardening