Bhg
  • Shop
  • News
  • Food
  • DIY
  • Garden
  • Travel
  • Renovating
  • Decorating
  • Property
  • Health
  • TV
  • Podcasts
Bhg
  • Shop
  • News
  • Food
  • DIY
  • Garden
  • Travel
  • Renovating
  • Decorating
  • Property
  • Health
  • TV
  • Podcasts
Subscribe
Vegemite Villa
Watch 0:31

Vegemite Villa

{headline}

{headline}

How to make a living centrepiece for Christmas

How to make a living centrepiece for Christmas

Everything you need to know to grow your own broccoli

Everything you need to know to grow your own broccoli

Everything you need to know about growing cucumbers at home

Everything you need to know about growing cucumbers at home

3 ways to grow watercress at home

3 ways to grow watercress at home

{headline}

{headline}

How to grow your own tomatoes

How to grow your own tomatoes

How to grow blueberries at home

How to grow blueberries at home

Plants that grow well with garlic

Plants that grow well with garlic

{headline}

{headline}

How to care for watermelon peperomia

How to care for watermelon peperomia

How to grow dragon fruit at home

How to grow dragon fruit at home

How to keep your house naturally cool this summer

How to keep your house naturally cool this summer

How to look after orchids

How to look after orchids

How to grow watermelons

How to grow watermelons

How to grow sweet potatoes at home

How to grow sweet potatoes at home

Expert tips for creating Christmas floral arrangements

Expert tips for creating Christmas floral arrangements

  1. Home
  2. Garden

How to espalier

Give your garden or courtyard a touch of class with an espalier tree - by Better Homes and Gardens
  • 02 Nov 2016
How to espalier

It’s a fine decorative feature that won’t take up space. And not only is it beautiful, it’s practical, too. Training a tree to grow flat against a wall, fence or trellis exposes all parts of the tree to direct sunlight, increasing flower and fruit production. It’s also particularly useful in cooler areas where frosts are likely, as the wall can protect plants from weather extremes. You can buy ready-made espaliered trees from your local nursery or create your own. There are lots of designs to choose, including vase, fan, candelabra or Belgian fence. However, for beginners, start with a simple horizontal design. Like growing a hedge, it takes time and patience, but it’s worth it.

  

Gather your supplies

• 150mm-dia. x 1.8m wing split sleepers (2)

• Young tree (we used a lemon tree)

 

You’ll also need

Spanner; screwdriver; 90mm screws; 72 x 4 x 14mm screw eyes; 3.2mm swage; bottlescrews; 3mm rope thimbles; 3.2mm wire rope; secateurs; swaging tool or cable clamp, budding tape

...

Phil Aynsley

Step 1 Select a sunny spot. To ensure there is adequate room between fence and espaliered tree, attach wing split sleeper to fence post. If necessary, measure fence post and cut sleeper to measured size. Position sleeper on fence post and screw evenly along sleeper to secure. Repeat for neighbouring fence post.

...

Phil Aynsley

Step 2 On each sleeper, measure and mark 500mm from ground. Then measure and mark evenly spaced intervals, approximately 300mm along sleeper. On each mark, predrill then screw in screw eyes. Use spanner to tighten.

...

Phil Aynsley

Step 3 Along 1 sleeper, attach 1 end of bottlescrew to each screw eye and unwind halfway. On opposite sleeper, feed 1 end of wire rope through swage and through 1 screw eye, then back through swage to create a loop. Insert thimble into swage and pull down on wire. Clamp down on swage with swaging tool or cable clamp to seal. Turn swage over and repeat.

...

Phil Aynsley

Step 4 Run wire rope to screw eye in opposite sleeper. Cut wire to length, then feed through swage, bottlescrew end and back through swage to create a loop. Insert thimble into swage and pull down on wire. Clamp down on swage to seal. Turn over and repeat. Tighten bottlescrew until wire is taut. Repeat Steps 3 and 4 for remaining screw eyes.

...

Phil Aynsley

Step 5 Plant tree 150-200mm from wire support. Use budding tape to tie central trunk to wire.

...

Phil Aynsley

Step 6 Carefully bend side branches towards wire and loosely secure with budding tape. Ties are needed approximately every 200mm along branch. Loosen and adjust ties as branches grow, slowly lowering branches towards wire until they are horizontal. Forcing branches to bend and sit along wires may cause them to break.

...

Phil Aynsley

Step 7 Remove branches or any buds growing at front of central trunk. New branches will form each year – tie them to wire, adding new wires if necessary, until desired height is reached.

Gardening essentials - Craft, Gardening, magazines, cookbooks and more

Gift 6 months for free-Plus a Free $50 voucher*

Subscribe to Better Homes and Gardens.

Subscribe Now
Gift 6 months for free

Gift 6 months for free-Plus a Free $50 voucher*

Subscribe to Better Homes and Gardens.

Subscribe Now
Gift 6 months for free

Recommended to you

Vegemite Villa
Watch 0:31

Vegemite Villa

{headline}

{headline}

How to make a living centrepiece for Christmas

How to make a living centrepiece for Christmas

Everything you need to know to grow your own broccoli

Everything you need to know to grow your own broccoli

Everything you need to know about growing cucumbers at home

Everything you need to know about growing cucumbers at home

3 ways to grow watercress at home

3 ways to grow watercress at home

{headline}

{headline}

How to grow your own tomatoes

How to grow your own tomatoes

How to grow blueberries at home

How to grow blueberries at home

Plants that grow well with garlic

Plants that grow well with garlic

{headline}

{headline}

How to care for watermelon peperomia

How to care for watermelon peperomia

How to grow dragon fruit at home

How to grow dragon fruit at home

How to keep your house naturally cool this summer

How to keep your house naturally cool this summer

How to look after orchids

How to look after orchids

How to grow watermelons

How to grow watermelons

How to grow sweet potatoes at home

How to grow sweet potatoes at home

Expert tips for creating Christmas floral arrangements

Expert tips for creating Christmas floral arrangements

Bhg
  • About Us
  • Subscribe Today
  • Contact Us
  • Pacific Magazines
  • Partners
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Statement
Bhg Magazine Subscribe
  • About Us
  • Subscribe Today
  • Contact Us
  • Pacific Magazines
  • Partners
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Statement

Brands

  • All Recipes
  • BHG Shop
  • Girlfriend
  • Home Beautiful
  • New Idea
  • New Idea Food
  • Practical Parenting

Pacific Network

  • marie claire
  • Instyle
  • Beauty Crew
  • Who
  • Women's Health
  • Men’s Health
  • That’s Life
  • Perth Now
  • The West Australian
  • 7travel
  • 7Plus
  • Airtasker
  • 7NEWS
  • SocietyOne
© 2019 Pacific Magazines
Get more from Better Homes and Gardens

Magazine Subscription Offer

Gift 6 months for free-Plus a Free $50 voucher*

Shop This Offer
Gift 6 months for free