Espalier

espalier (ĕspăl`yər), trellis or lattice used in horticulture for training a tree or vine flat against a wall, either for ornament or to fit it into a small space, allowing it to get a maximum of air and sun and bringing the fruit within easy reach for gathering. The plant, often an apple or pear tree, may be trained into various shapes, such as a fan or a fork. The term is more commonly used for the tree or vine so trained.

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espalier

Tree or other plant trained to grow flat against a support (such as a trellis or wall). The term is also used for the support itself, as well as for the method or technique. The technique was developed in Europe to encourage fruit-tree production in an incompatible climate; it originally used a wall to provide heat as well as support. Decorative or space-saving espaliers use metal, wire, or wooden frames to create ornamental shapes for shrubbery or to train trees on trellises, walls, or fences. Evergreens such as loquat, fire thorn, sweet bay magnolia, and upright yew, as well as dwarf apple and pear trees, make excellent espaliers.

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espalier

1. an ornamental shrub or fruit tree that has been trained to grow flat, as against a wall

2. the trellis, framework, or arrangement of stakes on which such plants are trained

3. the method used to produce such plants

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espalier

1. A trelliswork of various forms on which the branches of fruit trees or fruit bushes are extended horizontally, in fan shape, etc., in a single plane, to secure a freer circulation of air for the plant and better exposure to the sun.

2. A tree or plant so grown.

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Espalier 

a method of crop cultivation by which the above-ground portion of the plant is attached to some type of support, or espalier (poles, stakes, trellises made from rods, walls, or frames with several rows of wire or cord stretched across them). This method of cultivation is used for grapevines, fruit trees, berry shrubs, vegetable crops, and ornamental plants.