Cherry/plum/pear tree advice please!

[ChocClare]

When we were in France earlier this year, I passed a nice allotment-style garden where the owner had espaliered pear trees all down one side as a wind-break - looked fab and something I wanted to do myself.

My lovely husband saw some fruit trees in Lidl and bought me three so that I could have my little espalier fence - unfortunately, he bought not only pear, but also cherry and plum. They are all self-fertile and he thought they'd make a nice "mixed" fence.

However, I think I'm right in thinking you can't espalier cherry or plum - or have I made this up? Anyone got any idea? Failing that, could you prune them in a way which would make them more... hedgy???!!!!

I've got a big garden, so I'm happy to plant them as stand-alone trees or mini-orchard - just wondering if I can "rescue" the situation before I go for this option.

Any and all help from you orchardy chaps gratefully received!!

ChocClare

[pigletwillie]

I would plant the plum and cherry as stand alone trees as they will do much better. The cherries especially you will not see unless you net them to protect them from the birds.

For two years now I have planted over a dozen Aldi or Lidl trees and to be honest, whilst not as big or well established as my £30 J Coles and Son victoria plum, at £3.99 I am more than happy. They cropped well and are making very good trees either espaliered, cordoned or as stand alone trees.

[ChocClare]

Thanks for the advice - sadly, that's kind of what I thought you might say!!!

Can I just ask: with your - wow! - dozen trees - have they been slow to establish? The reason I ask is that I have willows along two sides of my garden so obviously they're not going to go there and I'd rather not put them in the middle of the lawn if I can avoid it. The third side of the garden currently has only a blackberry hedge between us and the miles of meadow next door, plus that side is south-facing, so on the face of it, it would seem the best place to plant. However, I do have to think about height and spread obviously - both say "up to" 12 feet, which is fine I suppose... They are about 5 to 6 feet "twigs" at the moment - were yours the same when you bought them, and if so, what size have they got to now?
Sorry to pick your brains like this! And yes, for £3.99 they're pretty good value!

Thanks again!

[andrewo]

You can espalier pears and apples successfully and even blackcurrants! Peaches and cherries prefer to be fan trained but peaches can be grown in a U cordon. Plums and quinces are better as stand alone.

You can turn raspberries into hedges, just by weaving them around a simple series of lateral wires.

[smallblueplanet]

Could i put some spare autumn rasps (Joan J) into an establishing native hedge andrew?

[andrewo]

Sure, I have mixed in summer glens before now and as long as they put on alot of growth you can weave them in, you could do it with a mix of blackberries, just beware of the thorns.

Put up some posts and train wires between them at 18 inches apart between wires and as the new growth comes, has to be green, twist them in.

At end of year - tricky and time consuming part - cut out all the dead wood. I do this between me and my neighbour. At the end of summer I cut back all the old growth and wind in the new canes and when the foliage drops I have more light coming into my house, which I wouldn't do with a normal hedge.

With autumn varieties you would do this in spring.