Twigs from my garden

The first time I ever saw espaliered trees was when I visited George Washington's Mt. Vernon kitchen garden on his plantation on the banks of the Potomac River. Peter Thevenot saw his first espaliered tree at Mt. Vernon, too.

The fanciful trees caught his interest, and he now owns the largest collection of espaliered trees at his 360-acre nursery called River Road Farms, situated on the banks of the Tennessee River halfway between Chattanooga and Knoxville, Tenn. He has more than 1,600 trees trained in three to five years to grow as the ones he saw at Washington's plantation. Thevenot prefers shaping Kieffer pear trees because of their vigorous growth and high resistance to disease, but he says many commonly used trees respond to branch manipulation. He says you are limited only by your imagination.

What is an espalier? It is a tree or shrub pruned and trained to an unnatural but aesthetically pleasing form. It can be freestanding or trained against a wall. Espalier differs from topiary in that it forms the skeleton of a tree by training or grafting and pruning, while topiary forms a silhouette by pruning alone. Fruit trees, such as apple and pear, are traditionally used, but other ornamental species with long, flexible branches, such as magnolia and witchhazel, can also be adapted.

An espalier trained or pruned into an elaborate candelabra or fan can be a focal point in a garden. A line of trees trained into a tunnel creates a pathway to a hidden garden or a crowning centerpiece. Other espaliers include horizontal (branches grow horizontally out of one central trunk), palmette (branches grow in a fan shape), and cordon (the tree resembles a menorah). A Belgian fence is a form of espaliering that intertwines, weaving a row of espaliers into a willowy fence.

Espaliering was popular in the Middle Ages in Europe to produce fruit inside the walls of a castle courtyard without interfering with the open space and to decorate drab solid walls. French gardeners readily adapted espaliers to turn fruit trees into an art form. Evidence suggests the technique dates back much further, perhaps even to ancient Egypt. The word "espalier" initially referred to the actual trellis on which the plant was trained to grow, but now describes the technique and tree itself.

Planted next to a wall, more sunlight is reflected; at night, more heat is retained, especially when the tree is faces south. Espaliers can survive in colder climates, where a non-espaliered tree of the same variety would fail. The tree matures more quickly, bears fruit earlier and longer and is easy to harvest.

Finally, an espaliered tree is healthier than a normally-structured tree since air circulates better and a gardener can quickly see any problem and intervene promptly. Pruned sparsely, the tree's energies are concentrated in producing fruit-bearing wood. Pruning is the key to keeping the tree in fine form, cutting off any branches that grow inconsistently with the existing branches.

Aesthetically, an espaliered tree becomes sculpture, able to live 100 years and longer. It is beautiful in all seasons - in winter, when the skeletal structure is most apparent; in spring, when that same structure bears drifts of blossoms; and in summer and fall with branches decorated with ripening fruit.

The first step to growing an espalier is to choose a location with good soil and good drainage. Last spring I planted my own espaliered apple tree, grafted into a chandelier shape with three tiers of branches about 16 inches apart on either side of the trunk to allow room for fruit and foliage. The top of the tree was immediately cut off above the last tier of branches. The location I chose for planting was on the southeast side of a garden shed facing what I hope will eventually be my own kitchen garden.

While I never planned on buying and planting an espalier tree, I am anxious now to pluck my first apple. I read that espaliering is considered a gentle art and can become a passion to any gardener, French or not.

Event

At 9:30 a.m. Monday, Juanita Wilkins, accredited judge for Ohio Association of Garden Clubs, will teach a regional design workshop at the Gardeners of Lima stone house on the east end of Faurot Park, Lima. The class is free and open to anyone interested in learning to create synergistic, reflective and illuminary floral designs. Bring your lunch; participate or just observe. Contact Wilkins at 419-738-3345 or jmw421@woh.rr.com for details, including what to bring to class with you.

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