Espalier

Espalier (/ɪˈspælɪər/ or /ɪˈspæli.eɪ/) is the horticultural and ancient agricultural practice of controlling woody plant growth for the production of fruit, by pruning and tying branches to a frame.

[1] Espaliers, trained into flat two-dimensional forms, are used not only for decorative purposes, but also for gardens in which space is limited.

The word espalier is French, coming from the Italian spalliera, meaning "something to rest the shoulder (spalla) against.

A Belgian fence is created by cutting back an unbranched, slender tree to between 40 and 45 centimetres (15 and 18 in) above the ground.

[2] Horizontal T training of an apple or pear tree is a good example of the ideal species for espalier.

[4] Supports for wire guides, which are generally necessary to train an espalier into a design, are installed first, directly into a wall constructed of suitable material.

[4] Suitable, established and healthy plants, three to four feet tall and perhaps in three-gallon containers, are available from most nurseries.

Unpruned plants benefit from being allowed to become well established following transplant, before pruning them gradually into their flattened profile and training them as designed.

A horizontal espalier
Free-standing espaliered fruit trees (step-over) at Standen , West Sussex . The trees are used to create a fruit border or low hedge .
A pear tree espaliered into a cordon. The picture was taken in the garden of the Cloisters in upper Manhattan .
A vertical cordon fruit tree
Fruiting espaliered pears in a Baroque garden at Schloss Weilburg
A stepover espalier with recently tied branches