Trained Forms Index

These are the forms I have used in my garden. Links alongside each trained form take you to further details about each example.

ESPALIER, MULTI-TIER

A good form for walls and tall fences, or on wires in the open. Suitable for apples, pears or grape vines. Can be contained within a single fence panel (6′ x 6′) or allowed to spread to double width.

Espalier, 2 tier

For apples, pears or grape vines, grown on a low fence or balustrade. Good as a divider in deep beds with herbaceous ornamentals at its base or as a living fence between vegetable beds.

Example

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> Late Season Apples

Step-OVer

A single tier espalier, used to edge beds. Suitable for apples, pears or grape vines.

Example

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> ‘Beauty of Bath’ apple

Double Cordon

A compact form for walls and fences. Often seen trained at an angle of 30 to 45 degrees. Suitable for apples and pears. Can be constrained to a half width fence panel. 3′ x 6′ but 7 to 8f’ high is better.

Example

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>’Pitmaston Pineapple’

Triple Cordon

A trident form. Suitable for apples and pears.

Example

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>‘Fiesta’ Apple

LAdder Form

A modified double cordon where laterals are trained inwards along alternate wires to form a ladder. Suitable for apples and pears. Get creative: train apples and pears into any form of horizontal and diagonal forms!

Example

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>An enigmatic Apple

Small Fan

Suitable for red and white currents and gooseberrieswhich produce many stems from the base. Good for a single 6’x6′ fence panel.

Example

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> Current Fans

Large Fan

Plums, cherries, apples and pears can be trained in this form. It can easily spread to 16ft (5m) across. Consider for a double fence panel 6′ x 12′ or larger

Alternating Fan

By training successive leading shoots to either side a zig-zag pattern is produced. Suitable for plums, cherries, apples and pears.

Example

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> Golden Transparent Gage

AlternatE Bay

A method of training cane fruit such as blackberry, tayberry, loganberry etc. The canes shown will produce fruit, new shoots appear from the base and can be tied in the other side to fruit next year.

Example

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> Tayberry

Standard – soft fruit

It is common to see orchard trees with a clear stem but soft fruit such as gooseberries and currents can be trained as standards also.

Example

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> Standard Gooseberries