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Tag: Espalier

  • DIY Espalier Wood Privacy Screen for the Backyard – Garden Therapy

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    Privacy screens can be a garden feature that takes up only a small footprint, but attracts a ton of attention. You can build a wood privacy screen yourself with a few easy-to-find materials and get growing with an espaliered climbing shrub that looks beautiful for all four seasons.

    This post will cover…

    If you have a small urban lot or a close proximity to your neighbours’ yards, you may also need to create a sense of privacy in your outdoor oasis. While I love using trees and large shrubs to frame the perimeter of the garden, they can take up space.

    I had a large Carolina Allspice growing on the East side of my urban yard that bloomed many deep red, peach-scented flowers each year in June and pulled double-duty by creating privacy in the yard.

    Carolina AllspiceCarolina Allspice
    Carolina Allspice

    For some reason, this usually tidy shrub grew to mammoth proportions, and it completely filled up the fence that divides us from the neighbour’s deck. It acted as a wonderful framework to the back of the garden and a privacy screen in the summer months when we needed it most.

    And then, last summer, one of the branches died back. And then another branch, and another. By fall, all of the leaves and branches had died, and I couldn’t find a single reason why. All of the surrounding plants were healthy, and we didn’t have any unusual weather. It remains a mystery.

    I hoped that it would grow back this year, but, sadly, it did not. It’s sad to say goodbye to a tree or shrub from the garden that has provided so much enjoyment and purpose. It was time for a new solution.

    Dead Shrub Needing ReplacementDead Shrub Needing Replacement
    The Carolina Allspice died, leaving little privacy between our house and the neighbours.

    I decided on a wood privacy screen because I wanted something instant to fill up the space. This large, freestanding cedar trellis was the perfect solution. I had an evergreen Wintercreeper growing in the garden that I was able to transplant and espalier on the trellis.

    I can grow the branches all the way up to the top and let them fill out into a mass of green and white leaves, or I can continue to prune it into an espalier shape, keeping the leaves tidy.

    Since pruning is one of my favourite gardening jobs, I’ll certainly be working on its form as an espalier. You can read more about espaliers here.

    Espalier euonymusEspalier euonymus
    The wintercreeper was pruned into an espalier shape.

    How to Build a Freestanding Wood Privacy Screen

    The most important part of building any structure is ensuring that its foundation is strong enough to prevent it from tipping or blowing over on a windy day. A good rule of thumb is to dig each post hole at least 1/3 the depth of the fence’s height. For this project, the privacy screen is 11’ tall, and so the post holes need to be at least 3’6” deep.

    Many fence posts are built by placing the actual post in the post hole and pouring concrete around it, but for this project, we chose to seat the posts onto post saddles instead to help keep the posts out of the soil and water. This will reduce the risk of the posts rotting prematurely.

    Dimensions: 11 feet high x 8 feet wide – adjust for your space

    Cedar wood Privacy Screen Building InstructionsCedar wood Privacy Screen Building Instructions
    The finished cedar wood privacy screen

    Materials

    • (3) 4”x4”x12’ – pressure treated
    • (2) 2”x4”x8’ – pressure treated
    • (15) 1”x4”x8’ – cedar
    • (15) 1”x2”x8’ – cedar
    • (1) 1”x4”x12’ – cedar
    • (about 16) 60 lb bag of concrete
    • 12”x12’ concrete forming tubes
    • 1½” and 3” deck screws
    • (2) galvanized post saddles
    • (8) ½”x2” galvanized lag bolts
    • (4) ½”x6” galvanized lag bolts
    • (2) 6’ galvanized angle iron
    • Gravel

    Tools

    • Shovel or post hole digger
    • Wheelbarrow or concrete mixer
    • Circular saw
    • Levels
    • Hammer
    • Drill
    • Scrap 2”x4”
    • Stepladder that will allow you to safely reach at least 12’ high.
    privacy screenprivacy screen

    Make It!

    Prepare Concrete Footers and Saddles

    1. Dig two holes 7’2” apart on center, 3’5” deep, and 14” wide. Make sure that you are using the right digging tool and technique for your project and your body.
    2. Cut a concrete forming tube into two 3’8” lengths, place each tube into the post holes, and make sure that the top of the tubes are above grade.
    3. Backfill around the outside of each tube with dirt.
    4. Tamp down the bottom of each hole and pour in 3” gravel.
    5. Pour about 6 bags of prepared concrete into each tube while periodically tamping the concrete.
    6. Round the top of each concrete footer away from the center to prevent rainwater from pooling.
    7. Insert post saddles into the center of each concrete footer. There should be about a 1” gap between the bottom of the saddle and the top of the concrete footer to prevent the post from contacting water and soil and prematurely rotting. Ensure that the post saddles are level vertically, horizontally, and with each other.
    1. Allow the concrete to cure.
    A DIY Privacy ScreenA DIY Privacy Screen
    End of step 1, preparing the concrete footers and saddles.

    Attach the Privacy Screen Posts

    1. Cut two 4”x4”x12’ pressure-treated posts to 11’.
    2. Seat each post onto the saddle and level them vertically.
    3. Stabilize the posts with scrap 2”x4” anchored to both the posts and the ground to ensure that they stay level while completing the rest of the privacy screen structure.
    4. Use 2” galvanized lag bolts to firmly attach the posts to the saddles.
    Level postLevel post
    Use a level to ensure the posts stay straight.

      Stabilize the Posts (Optional)

      The posts should not sway or lean when you push on them. If you feel that the posts are not stable enough, then follow these steps to provide additional stability.

      1. Prepare two concrete footers about 2’ deep by 12” wide, directly behind each fence post.
      2. Insert two 6” galvanized lag bolts into the ends of each 6’ galvanized angle iron.
      Lag bolts in angle iron Lag bolts in angle iron
      1. Insert the angle iron (lag bolt first) deep into the concrete footer and attach the other end to the corner of each fence post using two 2” long lag bolts.
      1. Allow the concrete to cure.
      Additional stabilization Additional stabilization
      Additional stabilization is also helpful if your yard experiences lots of wind.

      Attach the Rails and Braces

      1. Cut two 2”x4”x8’ pressure-treated planks to fit the inside length of the two posts and attach them 6” from the top and 6” from the bottom of the posts.
      2. Cut a 4”x4”x12’ pressure-treated post into 4 equal pieces, trim the ends at 45 degree angles, and attach them to the inside corners of the privacy screen structure. This will help prevent diagonal swaying.
      Diagonal SwayDiagonal Sway
      Braces are crucial for the stability of the privacy screen.

      Install the Lattice

      The lattice is made up of alternating strips of 1”x2” and 1”x4” cedar planks with a 1½” gap in between each strip. To make measuring the 1½” gap easy and consistent, use the wider part and extra 1”x2” cedar plank as a spacing guide.

      1. Cut a 2”x4”x12’ cedar plank to 11’ and attach it vertically to the center of the top and bottom rails. This center plank will help prevent the lattice strips from sagging.
      2. Working from the top down, attach horizontally to the posts and vertical center plank the 1”x2” and 1”x4” cedar planks in alternating order with a 1½” gap between each plank.

      Plant It!

      Finally, you can plant your espalier at the base of the structure and use garden ties to attach the branches to the lattice. Try adorning the screen with other decorative elements as well; we added a grapevine wreath to fill in the empty space at the top.

      Finished privacy screenFinished privacy screen
      Eventually, the wintergreen will also help to provide privacy.

      The sun can shine through, giving us dappled light and a beautiful backdrop to the garden.

      More DIY Backyard Projects to Try

       

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    Stephanie Rose

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  • Grow fruit trees in small spaces with the trick known as espalier

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    By JESSICA DAMIANO

    If you’d love to grow fruit trees but think you don’t have the space, think again. You don’t need an orchard or even a large backyard to enjoy garden-picked fruit.

    Instead, use a method perfected by Louis XIV’s gardeners back in the 1600s at Versailles, when cold, windy winters, not a lack of space, inspired them to train trees to grow flat against walls. Their goal was to use the masonry as a windbreak and insulator, but the method they called “espalier” also made excellent use of a tiny footprint.

    The trees’ form maximized their exposure to sunlight, and also enabled the trees to withstand chilly temperatures better than their untrained cousins. Surprisingly, perhaps, they also produced more fruit.

    Which trees are good for espalier?

    Most trees with long, flexible branches, such as apple, cherry, fig, peach, pear, plum and quince lend themselves nicely to the espalier method. Even ornamental trees like magnolia, firethorn and witch hazel are good candidates.

    The name “espalier” comes from French, indicating something to lean a shoulder against, as the trees lean on their supports.

    This undated image provided by Missouri Botanical Garden shows a mature espaliered dwarf Moonglow pear tree in the Kemper Center for Home Gardening at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis. (Tom Incrocci/Missouri Botanical Garden via AP)

    But the 17th century French didn’t invent espalier; it is believed to have been practiced in the Middle Ages and even as far back as ancient Egypt. The Versailles gardeners, however, gave the method a name — and fame.

    How it works

    Training an espalier tree requires equal parts pruning and patience. You remove undesired branches and coax the remainder to grow sideways by affixing them to walls or fencing with wires or frames until they submit to the process and adapt to the pattern.

    Trees will send up shape-spoiling shoots that will continually need to be clipped, but the desired branches will take longer to establish.

    To accelerate growth, apply a dose of high-nitrogen fertilizer (look for a ratio of 12-4-8 or 16-4-8 on the package label) three times per season — in mid spring, early summer and late summer.

    This 2025 image provided by Planting Fields Foundation shows a free-standing espaliered pear tree at Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park in Oyster Bay, N.Y. (Planting Fields Foundation via AP)
    This 2025 image provided by Planting Fields Foundation shows a free-standing espaliered pear tree at Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park in Oyster Bay, N.Y. (Planting Fields Foundation via AP)

    Don’t expect flowers or fruit during this stage, which can take several years. The point of the fertilizer is to force the trees to direct most of their energy on growth, not production.

    When the tree has achieved the shape and size you desire, switch to a fertilizer specifically formulated for fruit trees and cut down the frequency to just one application per year, in spring, following the dosage recommended on the package. (If growing a non-fruiting tree, seek out a product intended for the species).

    The method, however, can lead to increased pest and disease problems, as growing a tree pressed against a wall will restrict air flow around it. So be sure to monitor trees closely, and address issues quickly if they arise.

    All that TLC will pay off with a beautiful, living garden sculpture –- and a great story to tell as you await your juicy harvest.

    Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter. You can sign up here for weekly gardening tips and advice.

    For more AP gardening stories, go to https://apnews.com/hub/gardening.

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    Associated Press

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  • Alexandria Donati and Jonathan Chesley’s Rockaway Beach Garden

    Alexandria Donati and Jonathan Chesley’s Rockaway Beach Garden

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    New Yorkers who discover Rockaway Beach, the sandy peninsula at the end of the A train, tend to fall in love. Alexandria Donati and Jonathan Chesley, the husband and wife duo behind Ktisma Studio, were among those who appreciated the charms of the beach-meets-urban setting. The couple first visited Rockaway Beach more than a decade ago when their friends began buying up houses on a block where 1920s bungalows had survived development. In 2017, Donati and Chesley finally got a chance to buy their own bungalow in the community, and perhaps equally important to Donati, who is a landscape architect, the tiny yard that came along with it.

    Over time Rockaway’s original wooden boardwalks have been replaced with concrete, and Donati and Chesley’s yard was no exception. “When we moved in there was an old privet shrub growing on a fence line, a pile of debris, and a lot of concrete,” says Donati. So, the first order of business was to remove concrete to make way for planting beds and to replace and repair fences. (Donati had already been on a years-long campaign to convince friends to rip up their concrete. “I told them I would help them plant it if they just jack-hammered it out,” she says.)

    Since buying the property, Donati has experimented with the planting and carved out distinct gardens within the petite lot. In front, the west-facing garden has a warm palette inspired by the sunsets; there’s a rambling berry patch along the side of the house; and the back garden, which is all about scent, even includes an area rug-sized stretch of lawn. Pots of herbs and flowers are scattered everywhere. 

    No irrigation here—Donati hand-waters her bungalow garden because she prefers to encourage stronger roots. “I definitely stress the garden out, but I do it on purpose,” she says. “I feel like gardens get over-irrigated, in general.”
    Above: No irrigation here—Donati hand-waters her bungalow garden because she prefers to encourage stronger roots. “I definitely stress the garden out, but I do it on purpose,” she says. “I feel like gardens get over-irrigated, in general.”

    Donati has been strategic about using plants to both conceal and reveal views from their small yard. Espaliered fruit trees, for example, soften the border between neighboring yards and an elderberry hides an unattractive deck. String lights and a shade sail that they hang in the summer help to enhance the feeling of enclosure, while matchstick blinds add privacy (and shade) to the front porch. “There’s a giant apartment building that says ‘luxury condos’ nearby, but that’s New York City life,” says Donati. “Even in a Brooklyn brownstone, you could have the nicest house and garden, but you can’t change what surrounds you.”

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