GARDEN CAPSULE
The challenge: You’d love to grow fruit trees but your yard is too small.
The solution: Train fruit trees to grow flat, so they take only a very narrow bite out of your yard. Called espalier (pronounced essPAL-yay), this age-old system has a fancy French name but is actually a fairly straightforward process: Start with young fruit trees, a trellis or fence for support, and a pair of pruning shears.
Make your first cut low on each sapling, wherever you want its lowest branches. As the branches grow, keep soft ties or plant tape on hand to train the branches to grow according to your plan.
Pluses: Espalier is a fun, artistic endeavor. The reward is high-quality fruit in a small space, plus a living sculpture or privacy fence to beautify your yard. This system is perfect for dwarf fruit trees, which often lack the sturdy root systems they need to keep from blowing over. Trained flat and tied to a trellis or fence wire, espaliered trees aren’t fazed by wind.
The careful pruning also provides good air circulation and exposure to sunlight, which means a high yield of bigger fruit and fewer problems with diseases or pests. Spraying and harvesting are also easier.
Minuses: Espalier is not low-maintenance: Plan on snipping here and there and tying up wayward branches a minimum of three times every summer.
Sources: For illustrations of various pruning styles and tips for training trees, see “Espalier Fruit Trees for Wall, Hedge, and Pergola” by Karl Pieber and Peter Modl (Schiffer Publishing, 2014).