Make the Most of Vertical Garden Space
My petite beach cottage is blessed with a compact outdoor garden. With not many green square inches to work with, I managed to turn a vintage bike into a slim standing planter, and now it’s time to take advantage of the little porch. Summer is winding down, and it was the perfect opportunity to grow up and maximize the vertical green space. A solid wood lattice railing borders the porch, which inspired my first try at an espalier climbing vine.
Espalier Goals
Yay! Espalier Basics
Espalier is an old-world method of pruning and tying live plant branches flat to a wall or lattice to create a pattern. I decided to plant confederate jasmine for my espalier design since it grows pretty quickly in partial shade, and the fragrance is oh, so sweet.
Thread galvanized wire through eye screws (Everbilt #210) and install a crisscross patterned frame for the jasmine to cling to. I planted the jasmine two days ago so it will take a little time to prune and guide the vines into full shape. But the basic steps for creating an espalier are relatively easy, inexpensive and a lot of fun. So far, no casualties. If space is limited in your neck of the woods, give espalier a try.
This vine training video boosted my confidence and made me feel like the basic espalier techniques could be mastered without too much risk or frustration.
I’ll be updating its progress on instagram: living_in_a_nutshell.
TIP
Once the espalier frame is fully covered, it can camouflage an ugly fence and give you a little extra privacy where needed.
