Filling in the Blanks

Finally spring has sprung in Western Canada! It was a busy weekend as hubby and I continued to tidy up and prepare our garden. We've been at it for a few weekends now. Living in the country means this is no small task but we are nearly done the big spring push. The veggies are in, the flowers are ready to go into the pots once that final threat of frost is over, and the fountain is finally set up.

One of the highlights for me is the week that my espaliered apple tree blooms. It is a little lopsided so far but in the foothills alive and blooming is a good start.

 

My reason for attempting this technique stemmed largely from needing to do something decorative with the large blank wall at the back of my garage. Later in the season the apple will be flanked by two clematis. It is shaping up nicely and actually wasn't that hard to do.

I started with an inexpensive hardy apple that I purchased at Canadian Tire. I chose this particular one because it already had two sets of branches that were directly across from one another. I guess I cheated but it worked for me. After that it has just been a matter of pruning and training it onto wires bolted into the wall.

I'm pretty pleased with it and would encourage anyone with one of these big blank spaces to give it a go. Now if I just had some great tips for controlling the dandelions....