ideas for a low fruiting hedge

[tutti]

Hi everyone,
I've joined this forum to ask for a bit of advice: I'd like some ideas on growing a low fruiting hedge of around 1m tall to screen off part of the garden. It's to create a border between a play area at the back of the garden with the front section that is more ornamental and has family use. As the kids area can get a bit messy, it would be nice to have it separated, but not being more than 1m, is easy to look over and does not block the back area off completely, therby making the garden seem smaller.

Ideally I'd like to grow apples, as they are eaten and liked by all the family, and we can eat everything that's produced. The garden is approx. 5m wide (excluding the path) so the eventual height, with any pruning, is 1m.

I've seen some dwarf apple bushes that are around one meter tall, and can always trim them level at the top. Also, apple cordons if arranged in a line as a series of X figures either side of a wire look good. I wondered if the cordons could be curved at the top of the wire to give it a more formal look. It might be useful to have the cordons of different varieties and ripening at different times. It will take a few years to establish, but hopefully will develop with age.

Thanks

[Alison]

Have you considered step-overs?
Alys Fowler: step-over apples | Life and style | The Guardian

[Kirk]

Don't know overly about the really dwarfing rootstock, usually the small one in M27.
These get to about 6ft or 2 metre. The one I have do hit about 6ft not quite 2 metre.

I would think that it therefore means some training along wires or frame and train them as espaliers of say 2 horizontals, you might get 3 horizontals.

[tutti]

Having looked at some m27 apples they do look promising. I wonder if I could grow some as small bushes and maybe cut them down to my desired 1m height. Or maybe, buy new whips and cut them at 1m tall. They may then start to grown outwards and fill space. I suppose if I grew them against wires I could espalier some so they are horizontal. The advantage of a line of single bushes supported by individual stakes, means there won't be any accidents if a pet or child were to go through the hedge by mistake. Not sure what a m27 bush cut to 1m tall would look like though, and ideally would like the bushiness of the hedge to start lower down.

I did look at stepovers originally, but If I were to put 3 m27 in a row it won't look very hedge like, as it's all one single tier. Also 3 stepovers may exceed my 5m width.

[Martin H]

I think two three-tier apple espaliers would look good. This would also be very narrow so isn't going to take much space out of your garden. It'll take a few years to train them from maidens, of course, but it would be fun doing it.

[Two_Sheds]

I did look at stepovers ... it won't look very hedge like

Remember you don't have to have only the one species in your hedge. A mixed hedge would fill it out more and provide year-round interest.

As an eg, I have honeysuckle in my 8' blackberry fedge at the allotment

and I've trained a thornless blackberry into a 3' tall fedge near the raspberries. I made a frame out of bamboo canes and tied in the blackberry canes horizontally to the bamboo. I ruthlessly cut off any canes that try to grow away from the frame
I don't get a lot of fruit this way, but I don't like them anyway

[tutti]

I've just had a look at a few websites and seen apple cordons on m9 roots leaning at what looks like a low angle and a line of them doesn't look very high, and appears to be quite "fruitful" (difficult to tell how high as there's nothing to suggest scale, but looking m9 up, it can't grow higher than 2m vertical, so the slant makes them around 1m- ish. Where's Pythagoras when you need him!)
Only problem is how to chose varieties with similar growth rates, otherwise some would be long and others short. Also, the inevitable gaps might look a bit odd, so wondering if I could train a few offshoots to fill the spaces. Heck, it's a bit complicated!

[Two_Sheds]

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ars_59895.html

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ees_52802.html

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=87

Fruit Trees for Sale, Fruit Tree Growing Advice and Orchard Consultancy Services


some good ideas/info in there

[Kristen]

I've just had a look at a few websites and seen apple cordons on m9 roots leaning at what looks like a low angle and a line of them doesn't look very high!

I think they (and anything else on dwarfing rootstock, e.g. in containers) are more difficult to look after / manage than "regular" plants, and as such an Espalier would be easier than 45-degree cordons. You'd get fewer varieties along the row though (cost saved on plants, fewer varieties, probably the same weight of harvest with either).

It'll take a few years to train them from maidens

Probably less time than you would think. Mine were planted last Spring as maidens and are already 6' tall, several have enough branches to clothe all four tiers. In fairness I was lucky that the original (bare root) plants were shipped as whips rather than as maidens, so they may have been 2-year-olds rather than one-year-olds, but either way its about 3 years until you are getting some fruit and have a reasonable amount of growth on the wires.


Yr 2 - July 2014

[Martin H]

Probably less time than you would think.

...

its about 3 years until you are getting some fruit and have a reasonable amount of growth on the wires.

Agree.

I've got a nice crop of Braeburns this year from a 2-tier espalier I started in December 2011 (http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...den_62141.html). I feel a third tier would have done well too if I had wanted one.