Coral Gables Historical Archive
The Coral Gables Times
Thursday, May 3, 1962, page 64 (of 73)
The page
The text of this pageRead by computer from the scan, so some words may be wrong. The page picture is the original.
Start Them Young You can train plants to stand up, lie down, grow narrow—take whatever shape you need to fill an odd space or liven the view
BY JOHN BRIMER THE FITTING of plants into odd spaces is nearly as old a craft as gardening itself. Plants may be shaped to be tall and narrow or broad and short, to frame windows and doors, to make living arbors, or transform a problem spot. For example, you don't need to sacrifice a sizeable garden plot in order to have a fruit tree or two. Instead, use fruit trees trained lengthwise beside your driveway or walks, or flatten them against the house to border a window with blossoming, fruit-bearing branches. You can even have a small orchard on a small home plot by properly training the trees. This method is called "espaliering" (es-pal-yer-ing) and is extensively employed in Europe where space is at even more of a premium than in our gardens. This ancient practice is rapidly becoming popular in America, however, with highly successful crops of edible or decorative fruits embellishing the garden. The term espalier derives from a word meaning framework, which refers to the practice of binding branches to a frame until they are strong enough to stand by themselves and to maintain their decorative form. Espaliers may be planted to be freestanding or placed against a wall or fence. Because espaliered fruit trees must be kept small, they are grafted to special dwarfing rootstocks. This low-growing form also means that it is convenient to do the yearly pruning back required to keep them in form, and it is easy to spray them to combat pests and diseases. Also, picking the fruit is no trouble at all. Fruits are likely to be superior, too, since most of the tree's energy is channeled into fruit and not into dozens of branches and myriads of leaves. Espaliered trees may be purchased already trained from nurseries, or gardeners may train their own, provided they are willing to wait a few years for results to show. Starting with a two- or three-year-old whip grafted to a dwarfing root (recommended fruit rootstocks, according to the tree's needs are: Malling II, IV, VII, or IX), two buds near the base are chosen, as nearly opposite as possible, and the top pruned off above them. The branches growing out from these buds are bent outwards and fastened to the frame. Many forms may be achieved: V-shape, U or multiple U-shapes, fans, horizontal cordons, and so on. Really proficient (and ambitious!) gardeners may achieve the goblet or pyramid shapes encountered in certain European gardens. APPLES AND PEARS are most often used, although peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums, or cherries are also possible. Some popular subjects are: fire thorn (Pyracantha), quince, cotoneaster, forsythia, dogwood, magnolia, camellia, yew, ilex, citrus, and evergreen euonymus. For most plants, care should be used not to set them against a wall where they may bake in summer's heat, although several hours of sunlight a day is desirable. Easterly and southeasterly walls are usually best, with south and west walls less desirable in most places. Wall
KROEHLER WORLD'S LARGEST FURNITURE MAKER gives this furniture added practicality and the glove-soft luxury of Boltaflex®
BOLTAFLEX Vinelle the Glove-Soft vinyl upholstery material One look, one touch and we know you'll love Boltaflex Vinelle. This luxurious supported vinyl upholstery material is unrivalled for supple softness and inviting comfort. It has its care-free side, too; kids won't scuff it, spills won't mar it, and Boltaflex Vinelle wipes clean with a soapy cloth. See your local Kroehler dealer, and ask to see the Penthouse group in Vinelle. THE GENERAL TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY Bolta Products Division Lawrence, Mass. A Product of GENERAL The General Tire & Rubber Company