How challenging are espalier fruit trees?

[Poledra]

We have had a new fence put up between ourselves and next door. Our garden was pretty much just an untidy lawn before. Now, I have a blank fence (vertical board with concrete posts) and I'd like to have something pretty to cover it. I'm thinking about putting up clematis and climbing fuschias. However, I secretly want a walled kitchen garden like wot one sees in the posh NT properties. Could I have an espaliered fruit tree against this fence, as a small nod to my fantasy dream? It's a north-facing wall in a very sheltered spot. Thanks!

You can espalier/ fan train a wide variety of fruit trees quite easily, although they don't always bear loads of fruit.

The easiest to train is something like a fig, as they're so vigorous. On the other hand, getting good harvests is really challenging from a fig at the best of times.

I know you can train sour cherries on a north facing wall, although I'm not sure what the harvest is like.

Espalier trees are not that hard - I have an RHS booking about pruning which gives detailed advice about how to train various fruit tree types and shapes. Fan training is supposed to be easier, I'm doing both but further along with the espalier and it's working fine.

The aspect of your fence will limit what you can grow, morello cherries and some cooking apples prob your best bet for a decent yield. Cherries need to be fan trained I think, their fruiting habit makes them not suitable for espalier, apples can be either.

I was at a NT garden this week with loads of espalier apple trees all covered in big healthy fruits. Obviously you get less fruit than a large standard tree because there's less branches, but equally the fruit you do get should be getting the max sun available as no branches shading it.

I have a north facing wall with an espalier morello cherry tree. It’s taken a few years to get started (I started with a one year old whip), but is thriving now. It was surprisingly easy, yet somehow makes me feel like a highly competent gardener whenever I look at it

I don’t get a huge amount of cherries from it, but the cherries are so flavoursome that you really don’t need many. I like to use mine for baking 😋

Another vote for the morello cherries. Ours is five years old and we don’t get a huge harvest from it but I use them to make cherry brandy and the satisfaction is immense!

@Crazzzycat is it espalier or fan trained? If espalier I stand corrected!!

It is an espalier, not a fan @BewareTheBeardedDragon.

Having said that, I just googled it and you’re right that the overall consensus on the internet is that you can’t espalier a cherry tree! 🤔 That’s odd, as mine is doing really well and bears a reasonable amount of fruit. I got the idea after visiting an Elizabethan house where there were a few old espalier cherry trees in the grounds.

I did start mine as a one year old whip, which may have helped as it seems that one of the problems is that cherry isn’t very bendable. I’ve found it to be ok when the tree (or branches) are very young, so I’ve not had any problems training it.

@Crazzzycat how interesting! I do like the regimented for of an espalier!