The Best Trees and Shrubs for Espalier Training

Espalier vs fan training

Espalier (left) and Fan (right) are the two main methods used for training trees ‘flat’ on wires or against walls.

①

Apple

FORM: espalier or fan
SIZE (min): h2′ x w6′
SIZE (max) h12’h x w16′
ASPECT: E,S,W
LIGHT: ○◑

Eating apples, cooking apples and crab-apples are very suitable candidates for espalier or fan training, as are the closely related quince and flowering (Japanese) quinces. Being one of the best fruit trees for espalier training, apples can even be used for a very low, single-tier espalier known as a step-over apple. The tree above is my ‘Sunset’ eating apple, approximately 18 years old. As you can see, it is thriving on the end of a wood shed, as a four tier espalier, taking up just 6ft x 6ft.

Apples have pretty blossom in April and May, followed by fruits in late summer. The winter structure of the tree is striking and always gets comments. When choosing apples for training like this, make sure you select a spur-bearing varieties, as they produce fruiting spurs all along the main branches. Tip-bearing varieties are not suitable for such training unless you are willing to forgo flowers and fruit.

Suitable Alternatives: Crab apple, edible quince (Cydonia oblonga), Japanese quince (Chaenomeles Japonica)

②

Cherry

FORM: fan only
SIZE (min): h6′ x w12′
SIZE (max) h12′ x w24′
ASPECT: (N),E,S,W
LIGHT: ○◑

Like all stone fruit (plums, apricots, peaches etc), cherries cannot be trained as espaliers, but they do make excellent large fans. The one above is an edible cherry. Four years after planting, it had already reached 16ft wide.

Most cherries begin the year in spring with masses of white or pink flowers. Fruiting cherries produce crops of red or yellow fruit in summer, which — when grown as fans — can be easily netted to protect them from birds. In the autumn, cherries can produce some of the best leaf colour with fiery orange and reds in the mix.

Of the edible cherries, the sweet (desert) varieties need plenty of sun and are best grown against an open south-facing wall. Only the sour/cooking cherries (Morello) can cope with the shade of a north wall.

Worth a try: Ornamental (flowering) cherries

③

Fire Thorn (Pyracantha)

FORM: espalier or fan
SIZE (min): h4′ x w6′
SIZE (max) h12′ x w24′
ASPECT: N,E,S,W
LIGHT: ○◑

The firethorn (Pyrachantha) is surprisingly easy to train as an espalier or fan, and lends itself to creative patterns. The long, flexible stems readily produce side-shoots along their length, making it easy to find suitably placed shoots to create the main framework. These shoots are supple enough to bend into place, while unwanted shoots can be pruned back hard (to 1-2″). When cut back, the side shoots soon sprout new buds and produce dense foliage. With glossy evergreen leaves, white spring flowers and summer-long ornamental fruit (which comes in yellow, orange or red) trained firethorn can create a highly ornamental feature in the garden. Firethorn can be trained into intricate designs, being one of the easiest shrubs to train around windows and doors.

The main downside of firethorn is the thorns. They are vicious, and make pruning a thorny business. Gloves are essential!

Firethorns flower (and therefore fruit) on the previous year’s wood, so heavy spring pruning can significantly reduce flowering. If flowers and fruit are a priority, delay pruning until after flowers open, then carefully prune all the side shoots around them. On the other hand, for the tightest, neatest foliage effect, pruning should begin early, and be repeated once or twice later in the year, although this will be at the expense of flowers and fruit.

④

Red & White Currents

(and Gooseberries)

FORM: fan only
SIZE (min): h6′ x w6′
SIZE (max) h8′ x w10′
ASPECT: N,E,W
LIGHT: ◑●

Red and white currents (but not blackcurrants) make wonderful small fans, perfect for covering a 6ft or 8ft fence panel. They are tolerant of shade and do well on North walls or in dapples woodland shade. Using canes tied to wire supports strengthens the visual impression and provides a clear line for tying in the shoots. Read my post ‘Quick and easy trellis fans’ for details of how to make these.

Red and white currents fruit on side shoots along permanent branches and can remain productive for well over a decade. They sprout new shoots freely from the base, so there are always new candidates for creating the main framework or replacing old stems.

The foliage of red and white currents is handsome, lobed and bright green. The fruit hangs in bunches for weeks in mid to late summer. The autumn colour is yellow and the winter form when trained as a fan looks wonderful.

This training method also works well for gooseberries, although their thorns make training less of a pleasure. Although I have not tried it, I assume it would work for some of the flowering currents too.

⑤

Peach / Nectarine

FORM: fan
SIZE (min): h6′ x w6′
SIZE (max) h10′ x w20′
ASPECT: S
LIGHT: ○

Peaches and Nectarines are difficult to grow in the open in the UK as they suffer from peach-leaf curl, a disease which is carried on the rain. They also like warmth and full sun. Training them on a sheltered south facing wall can sometimes be successful. Ideally, though, they should be grown in an unheated greenhouse (as above) which provides protection from rain as well as frosts which could damage their early, March-opening flowers.

Peaches fruit on one-year old side shoots, so fan training has been the preferred method of growing them. Peaches need sun to ripen, so early summer pruning is needed to ensure the fruit is exposed to maximum direct light.

This is probably the most challenging fruit in this article to train, as there is a need each year to grow and tie in replacement 1-year-old shoots which will become the following year’s fruit, while removing the current year’s fruiting shoots once harvest is over.

⑥

PeaR

FORM: espalier or fan
SIZE (min): h6′ x w10′
SIZE (max): h20′ x w20′
ASPECT: E,S,W
LIGHT: ○

Pears are one of the prettiest fruiting trees you can train. Their glossy green leaves are neat and crisp, while their spring blossom is perhaps the most elegant of all fruiting trees. They are also long-lived, with ancient specimens adorning the walls of grand old English country houses, such as can be seen at Great Dixter in Sussex.

⑦

Fig

FORM: fan only
SIZE (min): h6′ x w10′
SIZE (max) h20′ x w30′
ASPECT: S
LIGHT: ○

Grown in the open in the UK, fig trees can quickly become overgrown, unruly, unsightly and unproductive. On the other hand, when trained against a warm, south facing wall, they can be far more manageable, productive. Against a fence or wall, their long grey branches look dramatic in winter.

Figs tolerate heavy pruning, and their shoots are long and pliable, so easily trained along canes. Shortening the side shoots to three leaves in June encourages fruiting. Even so, a long hot summer is helpful to ensure a good crop even in the south of the UK.

⑧

Plums, Damsons & Gages

FORM: fan only
SIZE (min): h6′ x w10′
SIZE (max) h12′ x w20′
ASPECT: E,S,W
LIGHT: ○

Plums, damsons and gages are ideal for training as fans. These stone fruit form small trees when grafted on St Julien ‘A’ rootstock, which are ideal for wall training. Avoid dwarfing rootstocks (such as ‘pixie’) which do not form strong enough growth to put up with the heavy pruning involved in fan-training.

There are many varieties of plum to choose from, while damsons and gages offer fruits that are rarely available in the shops. ‘Golden Transparent’ gage (above) produces honey-sweet cherry-sized fruit — quite delicious!

As you can see, I trained it in a zigzag fan. This was achieved by, each autumn, bending the new leader (the strong central shoot) one year horizontally to the left, then the next year to the right, and so on. The main structure was thereby built up by adding a new main branch ‘layer’ each year: top-left, top-right, top-left, top-right.

One problem you need to watch out for with plums, gages and damsons is that they sucker. In response to pruning, this problem is exacerbated, resulting in the trees sending strong new shoots up from the roots. These suckers can appear some distance from the plants. In my case, both my gage and damson sent up suckers on the neighbour’s side of the fence, as well as in the middle of the adjacent path and vegetable beds. In the end they became unmanageable, so I ended up replacing them with a better-behaved fig and pear tree.

Based on this experience, I’d only recommend planting them against a wall, or where they are surrounded by grass which is regularly cut to suppress the suckers.

⑨

ORNAMENTALS

There are many ornamental shrubs that lend themselves to fan or espalier training. Some, such as Pyracantha produce perfectly neat espaliers. Other wall shrubs may prove to be a bit less formal. Above is a Japanese holly (Ilex ‘Maxim’, apparently) which I tried to train as an espalier.

Below are some other shrubs that are perhaps worth trying.

Proven trees for wall training

• Camellia — Good examples of espaliers and informal fans can be found online. I am currently training C. × williamsii on my woodland fence. Cultivars of this species have long, flexible shoots, but even common C. japonica is worth a try. [example 1 ⧉, example 2 ⧉]
• Ceanothus (various) — these can be grown on a south facing wall and like the protection. Not sure they will age well if heavily pruned. [example ⧉ ]
• Chaenomeles — Japanese quince. Can certainly be trained against a wall. As a fan or espalier? [example ⧉ ]
• Forsythia — It grows long whips stems from the base. They could probably be trained into an informal fan. [example ⧉ ]
• Ginko biloba — apparently it works very well as an espalier – see examples online [example ⧉ ]
• Garrya elliptica — often grown as a wall shrub — occasionally as a neat espalier/fan [example ⧉ ]
• Hamamelis — Witch-hazels can be trained as fans. Autumn colour and Winter flowers. [example ⧉]
• Malus — Crab apples can be trained much like regular apples as espalier or fan [example ⧉]
• Parrotia persica — Iron wood. Great examples of espaliers can be found online [example ⧉]
• Olea Europaea — Olive trees can take quite a bit of pruning. Here’s one trained as an espalier [example ⧉ ]

Probable

• Abutilon (e.g. ‘Kentish Bell’) — These rather tender shrubs have long whippy stems which would benefit from the protection of a south facing wall. Unlikely to produce a formal effect.
• Ribes sp. — The flowering currents may make good fans based on the success of red and white currents.
• Cotoneaster horizontalis — easy and naturally grows flat. Given support and judicious pruning, it can get quite high and might look quite fan-like?
• Philadelphus — Mock orange might work as an informal fan as it has long whips shoots. Here’s an example of a wall-trained shrub: [example ⧉ ]
• Osmanthus burkwoodii — small leaved evergreen that tolerates hard pruning. Sufficiently vigorous to reach fence height in five years. Informal fan?
• Itea Illicifolia — similar to Garrya.

Planting, Training & Pruning
(in brief)

Below is a basic overview of how one goes about training an espalier or fan. For formal fruit tree training, I recommend researching the specific approach. Several links are provided at the end of this article to help you get started.

Choosing suitable plants
When selecting a young tree or shrub to train as an espalier or fan, look for a plant that already has several long shoots that lie approximately in a plane. Check the flexibility of any shoots that a bit out of the alignment to determine if they can be bent into position — often they can. Don’t worry if they have any shoots that point in completely the wrong orientation, as these can be cut right back to their base to remove them during initial training.

Initial Pruning
In the photo below, left, you can see a young pyracantha plant that I purchased

Initial training
Initial training aims to establish a framework of permanent branches in a fan or espalier shape. The first few years are focused on achieving this underlying structure. Left to their own devices, most shrubs and trees will produce shoots every year between spring and late summer. These will sprout in every direction, including towards and away from the fence or wall. Cut back to the base any shoots growing towards the wall or fence. For the first few years, in summer, identify any long shoots that are pointing in approximately the right direction and check if they can be bent into the right position to extend your main framework. To tie them in, it is often best to tie these shoots to bamboo canes first (using loose ties), and then tie the canes to the support wires at two or three points. These canes can be longer than the new shoot, to emphasise the future pattern you are trying to achieve. Any further growth from the tip of this shoot can easily be tied in as it appears. Also, by using canes like this, it is possible to raise or lower the cane to adjust the position of the framework without having to retie the entire branch. Cut back all side shoots that are not needed for the main structure, to about 1 or 2 inches from their base. Any shoots growing towards the fence should be cut back close to their base to deter regrowth. In winter, review the structure and prune back any additional, unwanted side growth. Continue with this approach for a few years until your espalier or fan covers the available area.

Pruning
Each summer, cut back all long growth (other than those shoots you have selected to extend the main framework). Cut these surplus shoots off close to the base (1-2in), leaving two or threeleaves if possible. This will keep the espalier or fan looking neat. Doing this later in the summer (e.g. mid-August) will result in less regrowth and may better encourage the formation of fruiting spurs. However, if you prefer a neater look, earlier in the year, you can prune back side shoots in May or June, but the tree will respond by producing further side shoots over the next few weeks, requiring additional pruning later in the summer.

In the winter, check the ties are not strangling branches or cutting into stems, and prune out any stray growth. Tie in any long shoots required to extend the framework. Adjust canes to create a balanced shape.