Espalier fruit trees: fruit on a fence in a small yard

An espalier is a tree trained flat against a wall or fence. Which plants suit, the main forms, how to set up wires, and how to train a tree year by year.

5 min read · Patchmates

Espalier (say it "ess-PAL-ee-ay") is the art of training a tree to grow flat against a wall, fence or frame. It's an old technique, and it's perfect for modern Adelaide yards. A tree that would normally spread several metres wide can sit along a fence only 30 cm or so deep, and still give you a crop.

Why espalier

It saves space. You can grow fruit along a side path, a carport or a boundary fence.
It's easy to manage. Everything is within reach for picking, netting and pruning.
Good light and air. A flat tree gets sun on every branch and dries quickly after rain, which helps with ripening and disease.
It looks great. A well-trained espalier is a living feature, even in winter when it's bare.

Which plants suit

The best espaliers come from plants that fruit on long-lived spurs and respond well to regular pruning.

Plant	How well it suits	Notes
Apple	Excellent	The classic choice. Spur-bearing varieties on dwarfing rootstocks are easiest
Pear	Excellent	Long-lived and very forgiving
Fig	Very good	Vigorous, so prune firmly. Suits a fan shape
Citrus	Reasonable	Looser, informal shapes work best; they don't take to strict geometry
Stone fruit	Possible	Fan shapes suit them better than horizontal tiers
Ornamentals	Good	Camellias, magnolias and some natives can be trained too

If you're buying an apple, check whether the variety is spur-bearing. Tip-bearing apples carry fruit on the ends of shoots, and those ends get pruned off in a tight espalier.

The forms

Single cordon: one stem, usually trained on an angle. Several cordons can be planted close together for lots of varieties in a short run.
Horizontal tiers: a central trunk with pairs of arms running sideways along each wire. The classic look, and the best one for beginners with apples and pears.
Fan: branches radiating out from a short trunk like the ribs of a fan. Ideal for figs and stone fruit.
Belgian fence: a row of trees each trained into a V, with arms crossing their neighbours to form a diamond lattice. Stunning, but it takes patience.

Setting up the wires

Choose the spot. Most fruit wants plenty of sun. Avoid sites with a lot of shade.
Fix supports. Use sturdy eye bolts in a wall, or strong posts at each end of a freestanding run.
Keep a gap from the wall. Mount the wires about 10 to 15 cm out from the surface. That gap lets air move behind the tree, reduces disease, and stops the wall reflecting quite as much heat straight onto the leaves.
Space the wires. For horizontal tiers, start the first wire around 40 to 50 cm above the ground and space the rest about 40 to 50 cm apart. Two to four tiers is plenty for most yards.
Tension them. Use galvanised or stainless wire and a turnbuckle or wire strainer at one end so you can tighten it. Slack wires make crooked arms.
Tie gently. Use soft, stretchy ties. Check them each season and loosen any that are biting into the bark.

Training from a maiden whip

A maiden whip is a young, single-stemmed tree with no side branches. It's the easiest starting point for horizontal tiers. Here's the pattern for apples and pears.

Year one, winter

Plant the whip in the middle of your wires.
Cut the stem just above the first wire, making sure there are three good buds just below the cut.
In spring, the top bud grows up to become the new leader. Train the two buds below it out to either side.
Tie the two side shoots to canes set at about 45 degrees. Growing on an angle helps them grow strongly.

Year one, end of the growing season

In late autumn or winter, lower the side arms gently onto the first wire and tie them along it.

Year two and beyond

Each winter, cut the leader just above the next wire up, again leaving three good buds, and repeat the process to form the next tier.
When you reach the top wire, stop the leader and let the last pair of arms form the top tier.
Shorten the ends of the arms only if they're weak. Otherwise, let them run along the wires until they fill the space.

Pre-trained espaliers are sold at some nurseries if you'd like a head start.

Summer pruning keeps the shape

Once the framework is in place, most of the work happens in summer.

In mid to late summer, cut back new side shoots growing off the arms to about three leaves above the base cluster. This encourages fruiting spurs to form instead of more leafy growth.
Remove shoots that grow straight out from the wall or back towards it.
In winter, tidy up, thin crowded spurs and remove the three Ds: dead, diseased and damaged wood.

Little and often is the secret. A few minutes every couple of weeks in summer is easier than a big job once a year.

Watch the heat

A sunny wall is great for ripening, but in an Adelaide summer it can be too much of a good thing. North- and west-facing brick or Colorbond can get very hot and reflect heat onto leaves and fruit.

Keep that air gap behind the wires.
Mulch the root zone well and water deeply before heatwaves.
On extreme days, a temporary shade cloth draped over the tree can save the crop.
If your only wall faces west into the afternoon sun, consider a freestanding post-and-wire frame instead.

Getting started

Begin with one apple or pear on a simple horizontal-tier frame. Within a few seasons you'll have a striking, productive tree that takes up hardly any room at all.