Shaped trees and espaliers: the solution where there is little space!

Increasingly, designers are face with a limited amount of space for trees whereas it is highly desirable for the atmosphere and quality of life. Espaliers and shaped trees can help resolve this kind of spatial problems. High or low screens, espaliers or block shapes can provide the intended green element in such cases. By planting them in a repeating pattern they can add very strong lines and connections to the outdoor space. These lines will remain clearly recognisable in winter and provide a good basic structure the whole year round.

Also when there are unattractive elements on surrounding (or you own) property, espaliers can offer solutions. Placed strategically, they can hide the elements or change the lines of vision so the eye is drawn away from them. If the disturbing elements are too high, canopy trees can be used to screen off the terrace and safeguard privacy at the same time. This can be a solution in private gardens.

Shaped trees and espaliers: the difference

As their name suggests, shaped trees are pruned into a certain shape. The fact that pruning is done on the outside only means the branch structure inside the crown remains unchanged. Pruning needs to be done annually to retain the shape and the more often the tree is pruned, the denser and compacter the shape will be. With espaliers the intervention involves the inner part of the crown. The lateral branches are forced into a certain shape during the cultivation process. These main branches are bent round and tied to a frame, bamboo sticks or wire with tubular ties.

The espaliers then need to be pruned each year to preserve their shape. All the one year old wood is removed so only the main branches remain visible. The tree will put a lot of energy into these branches, which will thicken. Once the heartwood has developed sufficiently, the branches will remain in their trained position of their own accord and the frames, sticks, etc. can be removed.

The best known espalier is the lime tree. In winter the trained ‘arms’ of this tree are clearly visible. In summer, when the leaves are on the branches, an espalier cannot always be distinguished from a shaped tree. A Carpinus betulus as a pleached screen has more or less the same shape as a youngish lime tree.

Good quality shaped trees

Avoid disappointments and choose good quality shaped trees. They already have a certain stem girth, they are properly trained and have a balanced branch structure and a very distinct shape. When a shaped tree has not been properly trained and pruned from the outset, in many cases you can no longer correct it later on and it will always be visible. For this reason always be highly critical of this. In addition, only buy shaped trees that are complete, that is to say fully formed, because although shape trees can be lovely eye-catchers, poorly executed shaped trees can have the opposite effect on a project.

Lime tree, parasol-sycamore and many other species

Lime trees and parasol-sycamores are the best known shaped trees but there are many other possibilities. Maples, horse chestnuts, beech, parrotia and many other species are available as espaliers and shaped trees. Carpinus betulus is available in an incredible variety of shapes. It is a very grateful tree that is easy to prune. There are pleached hornbeams with low stems, high stems, as block form trees, multi-stem parasols, cylinders or spheres. The possibilities are endless. If you would prefer an evergreen species, consider a Taxus or holly.

Trees for this application