Q : I like the formality of espaliered apple trees , but   I have little room for limbs to fan out . What do you think of the Malus pumila multifariousness called colonnade , which is supposed to detain narrow , like a bushy pole with short branches?—Ernie Crooks , Calgary , Alberta , Canada

A : Colonnade is a trademarked name for four unusual mixture . A single Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree actually take care like a maypole that has take form to aliveness , and a quarrel of these trees does suggest the leaf- and fruit - bearing pillars of a roofless colonnade . If you have a spot that gets batch of sunshine , and you ’re prepared to do the regular pruning that any apple tree needs , then Colonnade might be just the matter .

The four closely relate assortment are all offspring of one mutant branch describe on a ‘ McIntosh ’ orchard apple tree tree diagram in British Columbia in the 1960s . When bud from this branch were engraft onto the rhizome of other apple variety , they bring on trees with inordinately just growth , something like a Lombardy poplar .   exit alone , this tree will become a dense copse of vertical shoots , although the Colonnades ’ peculiar growth habit also makes them fairly easy to prune into a pillar that ’s only 2 infantry wide and curt enough — about 8 feet — to be given with a stepladder , even though the trees are graft onto strong - growing M111 rootstock . With that hardy anchor , they do n’t need the support of a trellis and wo n’t botch up over well , unlike trees engraft onto dwarfing rhizome ( a received technique for stunt apple trees turn as espalier ) .

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With the Colonnades , you give much of the flexibility , both physical and aesthetical , that other apple potpourri propose for intricate espalier patterns . You are restricted to the uncomplicated parallel lines of “ upright cordon ” forms , instead of talkative candelabras , which I consider too tricky for most novice espalier - trainer anyhow . Your option in yield characteristics is limited , too . All four Colonnades produce Malus pumila with soft blank flesh that ’s good for PIE and sauce . Though every diversity has its own distinct flavor , each is a variance on the traditional ‘ McIntosh ’ taste : tart yet mild . This is a genuine bonus , since mod espaliers are ordinarily grown for looks first and yield quality secondly .   If the well-kept appearance of a paries of blossoming and fruiting apples is what attracts you to these trees , then the Colonnades should become you to a T. For the sharpest - looking words of trees , plant only one of the four varieties . To get fruit , though , you will call for to have another assortment for cross - pollination . This can come from different Colonnade assortment or from an ordinary apple or crab apple Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree that flowers at the same meter and stands within 40 feet of your espalier .