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Espalier Fruit
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Espalier apples
Delicious peaches on an espalier shrub
Apricot
Quince on espalier
Pear espalier in the classic "palmette" shape on vertical tension cables, Heavy Duty Support System.
Espaliered pear tree in winter
Tall apple espalier
Wouldn't you just love to sit in this lovely shady spot? This pear tree was originally planted as an espalier, but probably through incorrect grafting lost its formal shape and became just an "ordinary" pear tree.
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The cultivation of espalier fruit has a centuries old tradition, but requires professional knowledge, high maintenance and really belongs to the domain of enthusiasts. The person who is prepared to not only invest time, but also to overcome setbacks should try it! The most popular espalier fruit is the pear, followed by apricots, peaches and others. At "FassadenGrün," the Grapevines and Kiwi are treated in separate sections.
Requirements With appropriate selection, a suitable fruit tree species can be found for any wall. For details see below.
Growth and Leaves Like shrubs depending on species, see below.
Growth Support Systems Supports need to anchor the stem structure well onto the wall. Distance to the wall is not that crucial but should be only minimal due to the weight of the plants. However, good air-flow between wall and plant is essential. For suitable support systems refer below. Heavy Duty Support Systems, also Medium, exceptionally also Light systems. Often timber espaliers / trellises.
Pruning and Training Many possibilities, refer to specialised literature. In order to reduce the high maintenance associated with the traditionally strictly geometric "palmette" shaped espaliers, the last approx. 70 years have seen a clear trend towards the more naturally growing fan shaped espalier forms.
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Apples as espalier fruit
Ancient espaliered fruit tree (pear) in free fan shape
Kohren-Salis / Sachsen: Espaliered pear tree
Detail to photo above. The idyllic image cannot hide the fact that this specimen is affected by juniper-pear rust, which unfortunately occurs in many pear espaliers.
The same espalier tree (above) in winter showing clearly its contemporary, naturally growing fan shape.
Two apple espaliers on wire ropes after the winter prune
Reworked apple espalier after cutting the main trunk
Espaliered pear tree in free fan shape
Flowering apple espalier
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Suitable growth support systems for espaliered fruit For Grapevines there is a separate section.
Please click on the graphic illustrations !
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Fruit growing - just like in the South Do you have only a small property and would really like to harvest fruit? Or are you keen to grow a particularly delicious apple species, which you remember from your grandfather's garden, and which is not available commercially? In both cases, espaliers offer the answer, as they are grown along the house or a wall. How come that espalier fruit grows so well? Because a sunny wall creates conditions which usually occur in the warmer southern climates only. A wall provides protection from the wind, hence the accumulated warm air is retained, which in turn benefits the plants. Many fruit species love these conditions, provided that they are also watered regularly. If you intend to grow winter-bearing fruit espaliers, you will also need to provide adequate storage facilities and conditions!
Position and Aspect Requirements for Espalier Fruit Generally, grapevines, pears and peaches love full sun exposure, even during midday, hence they need to be planted along south- to west-facing walls. However, apples, cherries, plums and apricots do not like to be "cooked to maturity" in this way. They quickly loose their aroma and characteristic fruit acid. Furthermore, apricots will flower too early and then risk being affected by late frosts. Therefore, a semi-shaded position along a house wall is usually sufficient. However, less fussy summer pears and cherries even thrive on shady north walls. In summary, the following classic fruit species can be cultivated along walls and have been listed in decreasing order of their requirements for position: late Grapevines, (late) winter pears, late winter apples, peaches, late autumn pears, winter apples, early grapevines, plums, early autumn pears, autumn pears, apricots, summer pears, sweet cherries, summer apples, morello cherries.
Pears as Wall-Fruit At higher altitudes and in regions where usually no pears grow, espalier cultivation offers the enthusiast a possibility - apart from cultivation in a plastics tent or glasshouse - to grow less demanding species. In fruit and wine-growing regions, excellent pears for storage can be cultivated on espaliers, which usually grow only in southern lands and are not even commercially available. Pear espaliers used to be shaped in many tiers of strictly angular, geometric forms, so-called "palmettes." The young shoots are easily trained into simple forms. However, the training of a pear espalier is complex and takes years, hence is not often described today. We recommend that the interested enthusiast consult old gardening books. Nowadays, the free fan espaliers are more trendy / contemporary because they require much less maintenance. For the purpose of pollination, it is essential that there are other, simultaneously flowering pollinator species in the vicinity, ie within a distance of up to approx. 200m. Gardening books and tips describe the right pollinator species ("pollen donor") for every pear species. This is a particularly important issue especially outside fruit-growing regions. Furthermore - and possibly making this even more difficult - is the fact that one species of espalier pear may be flowering earlier than its intended pollen donor in free cultivation, which means that the desired synchronisation of flowering times may not occur at all. To avoid such risks, it is definitely recommended to have several varieties of pear species in the neighbourhood rather than just the one species. Just as important is the art of pruning, which may differ from one species to the other. Some very good old books and tips on fruit species (e.g. Pear species / Apple species by Herbert Petzold, for the area of previous East Germany) describe precisely on which kind of wood a specific species bears fruit and how it will need to be pruned. When buying plants, one has to ensure that the future espalier pear is grafted as "espalier shrub" or "spindle" with the appropriate certificate. You can either buy plants already trained onto small espaliers, or mail-order from specialised tree nurseries. Many nurseries even offer espalier pears with double grafts which ensure pollination. The same applies for apples. Saving money when buying fruit espaliers is not worth it and will take its revenge! In urban residential areas, where ornamental juniper is grown, there is a strong possibility that pear espaliers will be affected by the juniper-pear rust, a fungus which uses juniper plants as an intermediate host. It will reduce the affected leaves' ability to assimilate, however it will not affect the fruit. Nevertheless, from an aesthetic perspective this often means the death sentence for the pear espalier... Espalier pears are definitely a challenge for the enthusiast!
Peaches as fruit espaliers These are not as easy to train into angular shapes, hence they are grown and attached to the supports in a more freely growing fan shape. Often the shrubs are simply planted in front of a warming wall, without any support. They should be selected with their time of ripening in mind, as follows: grown as wall espaliers the fruit ripens approx. 2-3 weeks earlier than the same species in free cultivation, which is important to know and keep in mind, otherwise the fruit may rot just while you are away on holidays....
Apples as espalier trees Most apple species grown as wall espaliers are not necessarily developing better fruit than the ones grown in free cultivation, however if space is an issue, they are easy to cultivate along the house. Very special espalier apple species are available, which bear fruit that once upon a time were an expensive treat and in great demand, such as the "White Winter Calvill." Surely, one can grow especially beautiful and large apples on espaliers, provided their ripening process is regularly checked and the number of fruit forming on the tree is being reduced. In general though, cultivation for apples is more or less the same as for pears, as discussed above. Unfortunately, many of the old apple species are unsuitable for espaliers due to their susceptibility to mildew, especially if spraying with herbicides is undesirable. As an alternative, we recommend to investigate the new RE-species from Pillnitz/Dresden, which are resistant to multiple diseases.
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Espaliered pear
Old wall-espalier orchard in Potsdam / Brandenburg
Espalier fruit along walls in orchard
Flowering espaliered tree, historical image
Newly established apple espalier in Moritzburg / Sachsen
Wintry, lofty pear espalier in Middle Swabia, historical photograph
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