low fruiting hedge ideas

seneca

Hi everyone, 
Need a bit of advice: I'd like some ideas on growing a low fruiting hedge of around 1m tall to screen off part of the garden. It's to create a border between a play area at the back of the garden with the front section that is more ornamental and has family use. As the kids area can get a bit messy, it would be nice to have it separated, but not being more than 1m, is easy to look over and does not block the back area off completely, therby making the garden seem smaller.

Ideally I'd like to grow apples, as they are eaten and liked by all the family, and we can eat everything that's produced. The garden is approx. 5m wide (excluding the path) so the eventual height, with any pruning, is 1m.

I've seen some dwarf apple bushes that are around one meter tall, and can always trim them level at the top. Also, apple cordons if arranged in a line as a series of X figures either side of a wire look good. I wondered if the cordons could be curved at the top of the wire to give it a more formal look. It might be useful to have the cordons of different varieties and ripening at different times. It will take a few years to establish, but hopefully will develop with age.

Thanks

Topbird

Espalier apples / pears or cordons could work well for you. Is there a tree nursery near you? If they grow, train and supply fruit trees they would be well worth a visit to get expert advice. They will be able to help you choose the best varieties for your chosen method of cultivation & for cross pollination. They will also give you advice on training & pruning.



If you are anywhere in E Anglia a trip to Crown nursery at Ufford is very rewarding. Lots of help from them & they offer pruning courses and apple tasting days to try some heritage varieties

Dave Morgan

Seneca, take a look at the link below to the rhs. It gives guidance on training step over apples. They can be trained to the height you want.

 https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=598