How about adding a vertical element without planting a
tree? Do you need a visual divider to
change the look of your garden? Try one
of these relatively simple structures – an Espalier frame for your fruit trees
or a permanent structure for your vertical plants.
Both of the structures described in this article require
very little planning or assembly. The
espalier frame shown below was constructed from three 8-ft tall 4x4 posts. One acts as the cross beam and two as the vertical
posts which were cemented about 2-ft into the ground. The cross beam is secured to the top of the
vertical beams using galvanized “post & column cap” brackets. For a better visual finish square-up and attach
the cross beam to the vertical posts before you cement the posts in the
ground. Also, with the cross beam
attached adjust the depth of the holes to level the top of the frame. We built ours to grow apples so we screwed
eye-hooks into both vertical posts at three places and stretched wire between
them to train the apple branches horizontally.
For more on this technique please read the article entitled Espalier: The Art of Plant Training by
Elaine Lockey published on this blog on July 5, 2011. You can add your own finishing touches to
suit your preferences. We chose to paint
it bright red to add color to the garden and we attached some metallic
butterflies to one frame just for the fun of it.
Contrast the visual effect of the bright red frames above
with the other structure, seen in the pictures below, that was left
unfinished. It was built 10 years ago
using the same basic structure but had wooden trellising to support the
plants. The trellising however was soon
blown away by the high winds encountered in this area and was replaced with an interesting
pattern of twine discovered in a magazine.
The original construction can be seen in the picture below on the left and the current appearance on the right. When the trellis was removed, 2x4’s were added at the top and 2/3 of the
way down to accommodate eye hooks needed for threading the twine. Weathering of the cedar vertical posts is
evident in the two pictures, but structurally they are still very sound. This
area is used for growing raspberries and the triangular wooden frames seen on
the end were added to allow us to maintain the raspberry canes vertical. While this structure is more than is
classically needed for raspberries, we enjoy the way it provides a division to
the garden even in the winter.
Finally, the picture below shows all three structures during the growing season. It illustrates the way the frames provide a visual reference point, can be used to section off parts of the garden and the contrast in the painted vs. unfinished appearance.
