The art of pleaching

[wisewood]

Some really interesting stuff, great thread. Quite fancy a go at this pleaching malarchy and adding 'tree weaver' to the CV:001_smile:

[Luke Quenby]

Some of the nurseries I've worked on that was bread and butter for poorer formed Tilia, Malus, Fagus, Pyrus and Carpinus. A good way of 'adding value' to something that may have otherwise been rejected for not being perfect (in the eye of the architect).

 

It's a fairly straightforward proccess with nursery stock, build loads of bamboo frames and then fix them into the tree with tubegrip and prune / train accordingly.

 

It's a massive thing in the Netherlands and Belgium, and pretty big in France to I think and as Willem's post stated, sometimes goes to extremes of really impressive creativity.

 

Seems to be getting more and more popular over here as an 'ariel hedge' or for a feature / frame around a feature. From memory a 20 - 25 pleached Tilia cordata would set you back in the region of £3 - 400. But as I said if you've got the time and the creativity it can be done on your own stock or be a good way to make a feature out of an awkward shaped tree.

[wisewood]

Not quite the same but cool anyway

(patrick dougherty, 1996)

[willem]

These treeforms originate from old farms in the Netherlands. The trees were planted close to the farmhouse to give shade in the summer, in winter time the branches were cut so they had extra sunlight inside the farmhouse and foodsupplement for the livestock. Since then it has developed in a fashion trend which lasts for a couple of decades now in the Netherlands. People pay a lot of money for these trees.

 

Old picture to illustrate

 

 

Pleaching trees old style

 

 

Pleaching trees new style

 

[willem]

Found another picture of a pleaching tree transplanted with our transplanting machine.

 

Other kind of pleaching tree Platanus shaped as a parasol we transplanted. Shape comes from the south of france were these trees shade out the jeu the boules tracks.

 

Follow the link to see the pics's

http://www.bomendienst.nl/db/PdfVestiging2/pdfDocument2/id/pdfFilename2/BZ_Trees%20On%20The%20Run.pdf

Edited April 14, 2012 by willem

[Daniël Bos]

I walked a flock of sheep past this one last week, in Borger, Drenthe, NL.

No better pictures, sorry.

[raafbeard]

Nice pics David, I am attempting to start a small row of pleach limes but I am getting some meddling help which is retarding my progress

[David Humphries]

fine example I saw at Kew today

 

 

 

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[scm]

How and when are Pleaches and espaliers pruned?

[David Humphries]

How and when are Pleaches and espaliers pruned?

 

Here's a start.......

 

BBC Two - Gardeners' World, 2010/2011, Episode 26, How to pleach trees from scratch

 

 

http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=155

 

 

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