Pleached trees, what are they and how easy are they to maintain?
Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of this stately, evergreen tree. We’ll also discuss why they are a good choice for gardens.
And, don’t forget to read our previous article on cost-effective, stately pleached trees, which will be useful if you’re thinking of buying one.
But before you buy one, here’s some information on the best way to care for it.
Soil preparation for Pleached trees
Growing a pleached tree requires a lot of upkeep. You must take care to properly compress the soil. If the soil is not backfilled completely, the tree will migrate and suffer settlement.
Pleached trees need to be pruned every year to promote new growth and cover the frame. The following are tips to keep your pleached tree healthy and looking beautiful.
Deciduous pleached trees are the easiest to maintain. The best time to prune these trees is winter.
They will require pruning and shaping every few years. They will take two to three years to reach the desired shape.
The best time to prune them is in November and April. If you want to cut the tree for privacy, use the winter months from November to April.
You can also make them into topiary if you desire.
How to water Pleached trees
Water your trees regularly. Water your tree at least twice a week in warm weather. You can increase this frequency during warm weather. Proper watering is essential for establishing the tree in the ground.
After watering, look for any movement of the frame. If it does, you should tweak the ties.
Moreover, pleached trees require a lot of maintenance. Once planted, pleached trees need to be regularly pruned to keep them looking beautiful.
Deciduous trees require pruning every year, so you need to know how to trim them. Deciduous trees will lose their leaves in winter.
But evergreen trees can be topiarised. Topiarise means cutting the tree into a unique shape. If you don’t like trimming, you can leave the tree in its original shape. In addition to trimming, you can leave the tree unpruned for a few years.
How easy to maintain is a Pleached tree?
If you plan on using pleached trees in your landscape, you will want to know about their maintenance.
Pleated trees are low-maintenance because they do not require much pruning. However, you should trim them once or twice a year. During the growing season, trim off diseased or broken branches.
The final pruning should be done in October. After that, you will need to prune them only once or twice a year. Trimming is also important if you plan to trim the tree, especially if it’s already grown large.
Although pleached trees are relatively low-maintenance, they do need proper support. Because they are not self-supporting, they need a framework to train their growth.
Most commonly, they are supported by vertical posts in the ground, or thin horizontal cross-pieces. Bamboo cane stakes or wires are common supports.
Metal wire cattle fencing is another popular method. For more information, visit Hedges Direct.
Pleated trees require good watering. Once planted, water it at least twice a week. More often during warm weather is recommended.
Watering will help the trees get firmly established in the ground. While watering, check to make sure the ties are still securely in place. If they move, simply adjust the ties. But if you notice any movement, don’t forget to re-water them.
A pleached tree can help add height to your fence. The stem height of twenty-first century pleached trees is 180cm, which is the height of a standard fence panel.
A pleached tree can divide a larger garden into different “rooms” with its high crown. They can also be underplanted with shrubs or wildflowers for a lush look. The Eden Project has a lovely path made from white globe alliums.
Pleached trees: Cost-effectiveness
If you’d like to buy a cost-effective pleached tree for your yard, you have a number of options. You can order the pleached tree in any quantity you like.
Ordering four or fewer trees will incur a delivery charge, but larger orders will subsidize the delivery and discount the plant’s price.
However, you should be prepared to spend a considerable amount of time and effort in pruning your pleached tree.
Planting Peached Tree: Distance and Spacing
The best distance to plant pleached trees is around twice the size of the root ball. The roots of the trees should be kept moist, and watering should be done regularly during dry spells. A pleached tree will require pruning to maintain its shape and size.
Pruning can be done twice a year. The frame may be removed over the winter. Pruning stages 1 and 2 involve maintaining the mature shape of the pleached tree.
The cost-effective pleached tree comes with a narrow frame with a clear stem. The flat panel on top is usually two meters across.
This type of tree is commonly used for aerial screening. These trees don’t need much maintenance and are relatively low-maintenance. They can even be delivered nationwide, which makes them a fantastic choice for many home owners.
If you’re looking for a tree for your home, consider a cost-effective pleached tree. You’ll be glad you did.
You can also buy pleached trees that are already planted. You can buy an established pleached tree for PS180, but larger specimens will cost a little more.
If you’re planning on buying a pleached tree for your yard, remember to plant it far enough apart from each other to prevent the stem from spreading. A simple way to prune a pleached tree is to pinch out the shoots to make the tree bushier.
Stately Pleached tree
There is no doubt that Stately pleached trees require a high degree of maintenance. This style of planting is often used to add instant architectural value to a landscape.
The Chelsea Flower Show, along with the resurgence of pleached hedges, have been responsible for their resurgence in the gardening world.
But is pleached tree maintenance worth it? Let’s take a closer look. Read on to learn more about the benefits and drawbacks of pleached trees.
When growing a pleached tree, the first thing you need to know is that they need adequate supports. While they eventually become self-supporting, they still need to be trained for a few years.
Commonly, this support is in the form of vertical posts placed in the ground, or thin horizontal cross-pieces. Bamboo cane stakes and wires are also common ways to support pleached trees. Metal wire cattle fencing is another option.
A good quality pleached tree can be a focal point in any garden, offering a beautiful screen of foliage and branches. Many types are available, including a variety of limes, Tilia x europaea ‘Pallida’ and Photinia Red Robin.
Some varieties have brown leaves in the winter, providing privacy all year round. Stately pleached trees are relatively low maintenance, but they do require pruning at least twice a year.
A pleached hornbeam can be very high maintenance and may require topping several times during training. However, if you have an established row of these trees, pruning will not be as difficult.
And since sap doesn’t run down the trunk as quickly in late winter, it is best to perform this pruning in late winter. If you want to maintain the full height of the tree, you should plant it at least ten feet apart.
Elegant Pleached tree
It’s no secret that elegant pleached trees are high maintenance. Planting and staking a pleached tree can be a challenge, but a well-prepared pleached tree will be beautiful. If the branches aren’t properly supported, you might end up with a donkey-leaning tree. To avoid this problem, here are a few tips:
First, pleached trees need adequate support. While they eventually become self-supporting, they need a support structure to train their growth.
Typical supports include vertical posts in the ground or thin horizontal cross-pieces such as bamboo cane stakes and wires.
Metal wire cattle fencing is another common support method. Despite the high level of maintenance, pleached trees are worth it for the gorgeous look they create. If you’re concerned about the maintenance of these lovely trees, here are some tips to help you get started.
Choosing the right spacing for your trees is key. A few feet between two trees will give you a bushy-screenscreen effect, while 10 to 12 feet will give you an elegant narrow screening effect.
When choosing the spacing between two trees, make sure to select a species that grows at regular intervals.
As with all trees, they require regular pruning, and pruning in winter is necessary to promote new growth. However, if you want to grow an elegant pleached tree, you can extend the tiers and give them the width they need to grow to a desired height.
Takeaway
If you want a large pleached tree avenue, make sure to choose the right kind of tree. A large avenue of pleached limes can be an impressive screening solution.
The Arley Hall Avenue of Pleached Limes, in England, has been in the same family for 250 years.
While most pleached trees require considerable time and maintenance, they are ideal for contemporary screening.
As Randle Siddeley points out, a group of three or four sentry-like Carpinus ‘Elegant’ is an impressive example of a pleached limes screen.