How to Espalier: Fruit Trees in Small Spaces

What is Espalier?

Espalier is the term for training and pruning a tree or shrub so that it grows in a single plane. The technique was used to grow grapes in ancient Greece and Rome and was later refined in the walled settlements of medieval Europe.

With growing space at a premium, fruit trees were planted against the parapets and pruned flat. South- and west-facing walls heated by the Sun provided a warm microclimate that extended the growing season, giving the fruit more time to ripen. The open pruning allowed lots of sunlight to reach every part of the plant, enhancing fruit color and boosting yields.

Today, home gardeners have embraced espalier for small garden spaces or patios where a tall plant is needed. Plus, if you live in a cold winter or cool summer climate, some fruits just won’t grow and mature well without this technique.

While there are dwarf fruit trees available, even those trees are too large for many gardens or yards. 

Espalier needn’t be limited to walls and fences. They can be grown on wire frames and used as hedges, screens, garden dividers, or borders for paths. A single plant may be used instead of a garden ornament and displayed as a piece of living art.

Best Trees for Espalier

There are an amazing number of plants that can be trained.

Of course, fruit is a natural, including apples, pears, peaches, and other tree fruits. You’ll want to choose a dwarf (or sem-dwarf) variety. 

Also, consider flowering shrubs such as forsythia and upright cotoneaster and evergreens such as holly and yew.

How to Espalier 

Easy designs for beginning espalier enthusiasts are a fan or T-shape branch arrangements. More challenging designs include basketweave, candelabra, and diamond motifs.

1. Choose a small container plant with spreading branches in the pattern you want.
2. Choose a location with enough sunlight (6 to 8 hours) and fertile, well-draining soil. A south-, east-, or west-facing wall or fence is ideal.
3. Provide a wire framework set 6 to 8 inches out from the wall. To espalier along a fence, run heavy-gauge wires between posts set in the ground to create three horizontal lines. If you’re running wires along a wall, you’ll need to set nails on the wall.
4. Plant your tree about 6 inches away from the wire structure in the middle of your designed trellis wire system. Position the plant so that at least two of the strongest branches run in the direction of the wires.
5. Remove all but two shoots on each branch. Secure the remaining branches to the wires with a soft tie.
6. Gently guide the remaining branches so that they will start to form the pattern you want.
7. As the central trunk grows, keep removing side shoots. When the trunk reaches the next wire up, allow two side shoots to develop (remove the rest) and attach them to the wires.
8. Water and fertilize the tree to keep it healthy. Pruning the tree each year to maintain its shape is also important.

Espalier Apple Tree Varieties

Apple trees are an especially popular tree to espalier. According to the National Gardening Association:

While any apple can be espaliered, for a horizontal cordon system, choose a dwarf or semi-dwarf, spur-type apple variety. ‘Macintosh’ and its many crosses are good choices for the horizontal cordon system because their branches tend to grow horizontally already. ‘Golden Delicious’ is an excellent choice if you only have room for one tree because it is self-fertile. ‘Liberty’ and ‘Honeycrisp’ are good modern varieties because they are disease-resistant and require less spraying. With fruit trees, you’ll want to prune out any developing fruit in the first few years. You may have to prune 2 to 3 times yearly to keep the tree in shape.

Visit our Apple Growing Guide for more information on planting apple trees.

It may take 2 or 3 years of training to espalier using a simple design and several years for one more complex. Don’t despair if the plant doesn’t seem to be cooperating at first. Espaliers, like some people, seem to have a way of shaping up when their backs are up against the wall.