Espalier & Fruit Trees

Does anyone know of any good books on espalier, especially fruit trees? I have an area where I would like to plant three espaliered apple trees. There is some good information in The American Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Gardening, but I would like to learn more.

Also, anyone know of good books on growing organic fruits? Although I'm becoming worried that it's not possible after reading The $64 Tomato, I'm hoping it can be done.

Thanks!

Even though it is over 20 years old, Hedges, Screens & Espaliers by Susan Chamberlin has a very nice section on espaliers with illustrations of the various types.

Years ago I planted five apple trees and trained them in the Belgian Fence style. After about fifteen years three of them died. Where the graft was, that portion became enlarged. Have no idea if espaliers are more susceptible to that.

metasequoia - Thanks for your suggestion. I ended up buying The Pruning Book by Lee Reich, The Apple Grower: A Guide for the Organic Orchardist and Growing Fruit in the Upper Midwest. That should get me started, I would guess.

I plan to do a simple two-cordon espalier with three trees along a fence. Nothing particularly complicated, but I know the pruning principles are beyond any of the books I currently have.

BTW - I took a peek at your library and - wow! Are you in the garden book business, or do you just really enjoy garden books? I would kill for a library like yours!

No I'm not in the book business. I'm a librarian who loves to garden and have accumulated the books, mostly used, at bookstores and library book sales over the years. I used to keep records of all my books in an Excel spreadsheet so learning about LibraryThing has been a godsend. My books are not in call number order so I have the tags, a1, e2, etc. as location codes to find which shelf the book is on.

In Onward and Upward in the Garden Katharine S. White describes catalogues from which one could order trees already espaliered to plant. Does anyone know if this is still so? I'm going to google it, too.

>5 Windy: I've seen them before, but I don't remember where. I'm pretty sure you can still buy them, though.

There was a nursery on Long Island that used to sell them premade

Look up Henry Leuthardt nurseries on the web. They are one of the finest espallier and fruit tree nurseries in the country and they ship. I have two of their pear espallier (six branched) that I planted about four years ago. I got flowers for the first time but no fruit last year. BTW Leuthardt's also has a terrific pamphlet on easpallier pruning.

Thanks.

Plus, if I'm not mistaken, Henry Leuthardt nurseries was the one mentioned in Katharine White's Onward and Upward in the Garden. If so, then the question goes full circle!