Flat fruit trees produce harvest in slim space

BOISE, Idaho — Part science and part sculpture, Bob Crum's fruit trees look like delicate relatives of their cousins in nearby orchards.

That's intentional.

"I've tinkered with this for a long time," he said of his espaliers. "The thing about espalier is it's a work in progress. You can make your own shape. All it takes is time." Espalier (es-pahl-yer or es-pahl-yay) is a method of training trees to grow in two dimensions in an ornamental design, often against a wall, but the trees also can be attached to free-standing trellises, like Crum's.

George Washington's estate, Mount Vernon, has some of the oldest espaliers in the United States.

Colonists brought the technique with them from Europe, where gardeners in northern France and England had trained fruit trees to grow against walls.

The walls retained heat and helped the trees produce fruit in climates too cold for traditional orchards.

Crum grew up in Nampa and graduated from Nampa High in 1942. He served in World War II and went on to a career making and teaching dental prosthetics at universities in Chicago.

After retiring to Florida, Crum began experimenting with his orange and grapefruit trees.

The grapefruits proved to be too heavy for the thin lateral branches of the espalier.

"It's a unique way to do things," he said. "It doesn't require a lot of space and it's fun." Crum moved back to the Gem State six years ago to be near his daughter, who lives in Boise.

In his garden in Eagle, he's growing five espaliers. Three are grafted apple trees that produce Golden Delicious, Red Macintosh, Gala and Gravensteins. One espalier is a Golden Delicious tree and the other is a cherry tree that produces Bing, Royal Ann, Rainier and Vans.

He bought the stock at Fruitland Nursery, which has been carrying espaliers for about 15 years, said nursery manager Larry Parks.

"Typically, they're multi-variety trees so people can get a variety of fruit, not one big harvest," he said. "It's more of a hobby tree than a production tree." Maintaining an espalier's decorative design requires some handiwork. The tree wants to grow vertically, and any shoots that compete with the design have to be pruned.

And it's also best not to let the tree bear fruit until the branches on either side of the trunk are 3 to 4 feet long, which also requires more pruning, said Anju Lucas, perennial manager at Edwards Greenhouse in Boise, which carries espaliers.

"It's not for the faint of heart," she said. "Anything that dwarf will take an incredible amount of fussing." For Crum, it's a labor of love.

"You have to wait until you find the right buds in the right place," he said. "I'm careful not to cut off something I'll need later." When he bought his trees, they were about 3 years old, and the design had been started already.

He built his trellises with materials from a local hardware store.

The tension on the horizontal cables, which are about a foot apart, can be adjusted depending on the weight of the branch. He uses bamboo stakes to give the vertical shoots something to hold on to.

Two typical espalier patterns in Crum's garden are the candelabra and Belgian fence, but they're not the only ones possible.

"You can make your own shape. All it takes is time," he said.