Developing and pruning espaliers

I am starting to train a dwarf magnolia as an espallier at my home. that reminds me about whai i see as i look at what homeowners are doing.

Espalier is just a fancy word for training shrubs and trees flat like they are vines. Why bother when there are so many nice vines to grow?

In many cases espaliers expand the texture, bloom or general effect that is available from vines. Examples include the broad leaf of Southern Magnolia, the winter bloom of sasanqua camellias or the dramatic winter effect of Flowering Pear (Pyrus kawakami). In addition even trees like Flowering Pear and Magnolia require less pruning than most vines.

The primary problem I see with many home owners training techniques is the tendency to tie back all the branches that develop. This encourages the espallier to grow away from the center of the plant and expose the branching structure.

If you train the first branches to create the structure and then keep the secondary branches pruned short you avoid this. In addition it increases the bloom which in most cases is why you are doing the espallier.

This is important whether you are developing a formal armed structure like apples and pears have been trained for well over 100 years or a more informal structure.

The pruning is done during the growing season and generally is minimal if done regularly. This is a great way to increase interest in todays small yards.

Plants I regularly use as espalliers include: fruiting apples and pears, flowering Pear, Loropetalum, Sasanqua Camellias, Hollywood Juniper, and cCtrus (especially oranges and grape fruit).