From David Beaulieu,
Your Guide to Landscaping.
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Definition: When a tree, shrub or vine is trained to grow on a single plane and not allowed to deviate from it, that is known as the "espalier" style. The plane is often defined by a wall or fence. The plants are trained from the time that they are young on wires running along the wall or fence. The subsequent "espalier" is continually pruned thereafter, so that all its growth remains parallel to the wall or fence.

The trellis formed by the wire is sometimes itself referred to as "espalier."

Espalier stems from a 16th-century European practice, adopted to save space. Note that, with Southern exposure, the espalier along a wall can enjoy a "microclimate."