Pleached trees, also known as espaliered trees, are used to make tunnels, arbors, arches together with hedges. The process can work well with chestnut, hornbeam, beech, among other trees. To understand what pleached hedging is, we have to debunk what pleaching is first. So what is pleaching? This is a garden term that refers to the interlacing of a young tree in a framework so that you can produce a hedge or screen. Th article outlines what is pleached hedging?
The technique is a way of growing young trees in a line and tying their branches to form a plane on the trunk. The branches are tied on support to ensure the outcome forms tiers. After this is done, the trees will grow together like they were grafted. This method was one of the defining moments in the garden designing sector in the 17th century.
The method was used to provide privacy and also mark grand allees. It has recently gained popularity in this modern era. When you use the pleaching technique to make a united line of young trees, that is referred to as plashed hedging. Before undertaking the process, you must know about the critical care and attention that pleached hedges require.
Pleaching hedges can also be described as training or sculpting trees to create a flat framework on top of a clear stem. The branches are trimmed and pruned to create a foliage shape that is more like a hedge, which adds aesthetics value to your garden. It usually adds a focal point in garden architecture.
Trees, once established, will need a little assistance from you for them to grow exceptionally well. And when you have incorporated the pleaching hedging technique, this will not be different. The trees have to be pruned and tied to a support unit twice in a growing season. The duration for such work will depend on the labor force you have. You may work the entire day to complete the bi-annual work of ten trees.
If you are interested in getting plashed hedges on your garden, then the process has been easier for you than before. This is because various garden centers provide ready-made pleached trees at a fee, of course. If you invest in pre pleached hedge trees, it will go along way in ensuring you get started a lot faster than if you were to begin from scratch.
If you embrace DIY pleaching, then you must tie new young supple shots to a support unit using a cross to cross pattern. It would be best if you plaited the lateral branches of a tree with trees planted next in a row on either side. Once you notice that the frame is strong enough, it is only then that you will remove the support system.
When pleaching is done to create arbors and tunnels, the support system is always retained. You also have to ensure when creating such tunnels; they should be tall enough so that you will be able to pass through when the pleaching method that spreads the branches to the support system. These are some of the pointers you need to know when it comes to this garden design.
