Hello Friends, today I am sharing the last article I wrote for the Cameron Chronicle.. "The Little Paper with Personality." I started writing for our village paper June 2021. I shared garden tips and tricks. I also shared gift ideas for gardeners.
In March of this year, Marty the owner of the paper shared that she was having trouble finding affordable printing. She has decided to retire the Cameron Chronicle.
My April article and last article for the Cameron Chronicle was posted on the Cameron Chronicle Facebook Page.
Cameron Chronicle Facebook Page
The Garden is Living, it should be changing...
Just as the garden is changing our lives change as well. I will miss writing for our village paper and I will miss reading our village paper. It was a fun paper with personality.
And now for my last article... enjoy.
♥
Carla
Step-Over Fruit Trees
By Carla TePaske of Cameron WI ~ The Little Garden That Could
What are step-overs? A step-over is an extremely dwarf apple or pear tree that is grown typically as a fruitful hedge or border to an ornamental vegetable garden or a potager garden. Their success is totally dependent on growing them on an extremely dwarfing rootstock. If this tree is left to grow to it’s full size it may reach to your chest of even shoulder, however it was never intended to be grown as a 'tree' but rather as a step-over.
To grow a step-over fruit tree, you learn the art of espalier. The art of espalier is all about selectively pruning and training to a desired shape.
Fun Facts about the Origins of Espalier
Espalier is the ancient horticultural art of pruning and training a tree or shrub to grow flat against a support, creating a living sculpture. According to American Garden History, espalier was originally used to create outdoor "walls" in Europe during the Middle Ages and was also planted in interior courtyard walls to prevent late frost bud-kill.
Other records show this technique dates back to ancient Egypt, where hieroglyphs of espaliered fig trees have been found in tombs dating back to 1400 B.C.
The French word "espalier" (ess-PAL-yay) was originally a noun that referred to the trellis or support upon which the tree was grown; today, it refers to the technique itself.
You can use the same technique to train your tree as a step-over.
A step-over is a trained tree 20 inches from the ground, creating a T shape. The name derives from the fact that you can “step over” the low branches. They are ideal for planting along the edge of a path or lawn or for creating sections in a vegetable garden.
Until next time, happy gardening!
