A pear espalier in the walled garden.

Looking forward to pruning the apple trees in a large walled garden in South Gloucestershire. We joined the retiring gardens team earlier this year and it is interesting to see the different approaches gardeners can have to some skilled gardening task such as pruning and training.

Although free standing, these orchard trees had the appearance of being formally trained; pruned hard to a rigid framework. To maintain the apple trees in this fashion would require pruning twice a year – ‘summer for fruit, winter for growth‘. Cutting all the years growth back hard just once a year stimulates too vigorous a response with a congested, shaded, hedge-like thicket of one year old wood which does not bear any fruit.

The garden maintenance demands for this large estate is, well, demanding, so the decision is to ‘relax’ the pruning style. A more traditional orchard tree style will be used, focusing on regulated and renewal pruning rather than high maintenance spur pruning. Should lead to some stimulating debate amongst the garden team at least!

These formally trained pear espaliers were pruned later summer. Just a quick ‘tipping’ back to allow light to ripen the fruit – should there have been any! Why it didnt fruit could be down to either cultural techniques or weather issues. Over winter the crowed spurs will be thinned out and pruned back to the shorter fruit buds on the spurs.