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variety of various fruit trees and plants that have already been shaped into an espaliered form.
Some of the benefits of growing fruits and trees this way are as follows:

One of the benefits of using espaliers is to save space. An espaliered fruit tree provides loads of fruit in a fraction of the volume of a natural tree.

Secondly, an espaliered tree bears earlier than a natural tree, bears much more heavily (in spite of the reduced number of branches), and bears for a longer time. A well-trained espalier often remains fruitful for over a hundred years. The reason for these three phenomena is the same in each case. An espaliered tree is pruned and trained so that all of its energies are concentrated in the production of fruit-bearing wood. Once the skeleton or 'chassis' of the tree is established, all the gardener's efforts focus on the development of vital, healthy fruiting wood.

Third, an espaliered fruit tree is naturally healthier than a natural tree. Air circulation through the tree is greatly enhanced by the practice, greatly diminishing the incidence of bacterial and fungal diseases without ever laying hold of the sprayer. Second, the frequent attentions of the gardener required to maintain the espalier mean that he or she spots problems early on and applies appropriate interventions more promptly. An espaliered fruit tree is much easier and faster to harvest. Likewise, any necessary treatments can be applied more quickly and easily, and with a lesser volume of spray than on a natural tree.

Finally, the interesting part, from an aesthetic point of view. An espaliered fruit tree becomes a piece of landscape sculpture. It is beautiful in all seasons of the year: in winter, when the geometry of the skeletal structure is most apparent; in spring, when that same structure is accentuated with drifts of blossom; and in summer and fall, when the espalier is ornamented with developing and ripening fruit.

The art of espalier also allows you to solve vexing landscape problems in interesting ways. For instance, no prettier enhancement to a tall, bare house wall exists than to train an espaliered fruit tree against it. Even if the wall has windows, you can choose a form that artfully frames them. And best of all, horizontal space is not an issue, as the espalier will cling flat against the wall. At the same time, an espalier will not harm the wall of your house as will many climbing plants with holdfasts.

Espaliered fruit trees can also be used as elegant screens and fences. Free-standing forms make incredibly beautiful vertical accents in any garden-living sculptures that provide not only a feast for the eyes, but for the tongue and tummy as well.

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