Pleached trees & how to make them

Bunny tells all about pleached trees & how to make them.
Lots of clients and people who watch the videos have been asking about pleached trees. In this video, Bunny explains what they are; what they can be used for; types of pleached tree; whether to buy them ready made, or how to make them; and how to maintain them.
Don’t forget to discuss with your neighbours first. What could be privacy for you, could be shadows and darkness for them.
Bunny also talks about pleached trees in her book “Garden Transformations” amzn.to/3KzsgUO
Nursery images courtesy of Deepdale Trees - www.deepdale-trees.co.uk
Video - Unity Guinness
#howto #trees
In this video Bunny uses:
Stihl HSA 56 Cordless Hedge Trimmer.
amzn.to/34DSVkb
It comes with a battery and charger. These are great, no more cutting through the cable, while trimming the hedges. It’s light weight and easy to use. Bunny uses it for her low box hedges and high yew hedges, although she has a small hand held one for her topiary birds.
Niwaki tripod ladder.
www.niwaki.com/tripod-ladders...
Bunny swears by these, and has 2 or 3 of them as result. They are a lot more stable and easy to use than a regular ladder.
Stihl HLA 85
Which has been discontinued.
A similar model is amzn.to/3CEEk4j this features the same adjustable head, and battery pack combo. Again it’s a lot easier to use than a petrol powered hedge cutter as it is so much lighter.
4mm black tying tube
www.dejex.co.uk/products/4mm%...
As Bunny states in the video she uses this a lot. It’s great because it stretches as the plants/trees grow, so you are not left with the line where it has cut into the plant/tree.
Stihl secateurs
amzn.to/3q042ew

[@kathrynmettelka7216]

The pleached trees look elegant and the symmetry is calming. Quite beautiful.

[@hamjahamja7464]

MN end bk

[@MarkusHessen]

Hornbeam leaves are quickly compostable The autumn leaves of Carpinus betulus become valuable leaf compost within about a year, which you can use to fertilize your vegetable garden. You can also use the leaves as mulch to protect the soil from erosion and frost. Whether as compost or as mulch - this is how you promote the formation of humus.

[@kristinastoltzfus6032]

Another great one! Bunny I still have your book with all the children's garden ideas and it is so worn. My children would study it and then we would go out and try a project. Now they have their own children and they all love to garden! Thank you for all the inspiration!

[@bunnyguinness]

You bet! 🐇

[@bunnyguinness]

That’s great to hear, really glad you enjoyed that book - my children enjoyed helping do the projects for it too! 🐇

[@bettyhoffman7231]

Wow!! I am just a small time gardener and I've never heard of pleaching - probably because I'm in the US. But I LOVE the way they look!!! I'm going to do some research and see if I can do this here!! Thank you so much Bunny!! I love your channel and I have used some of your techniques in the past - you are amazing!!❤

[@r.b.8061]

Bunny you are amazing! I thought about pleached crabapples in my new garden extension 😁👍🏼🌳 and your next video is about this theme.

[@hamjahamja7464]

Ffrtcv hj

[@eliev7844]

Another wonderful video! Thank you Bunny

[@jbcuk6504]

Thank you, Bunny! I’ve been waiting for this one. Brilliant!

[@kristinroche6064]

We are doing these in Oregon. I had a hard time finding anyone that does this type of hedge in the Pacific Northwest but fell in love with the secret-garden charm these trees bring. We are coming up on year three and we will be pleaching following your suggestion of canes and black rubber ties that won’t damage the limbs. Many thanks for your fantastic video!

[@Lukas-Sac]

I've been following many gardening channels on YT and IG for few years now but this one is just a true gem. I discovered it just days ago and found so much value in the videos I've watched.

[@tammywinter9268]

Your gardens are amazing, I have seen that but never knew what it is called, thank you I love the look of pletching!

[@krisbaker9427]

Pleaching

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

"taking out the fascia boards of next door" - that sounds pretty hilarious!

[@mauracurran3270]

Excellent video Bunny. I grew bay trees from small suckers. Kept the stems clear upto 4 feet and developed classical bay balls in about 5 years. 300 euros in my garden centre and so much satisfaction.

[@blakehahn-atlantaga8510]

Love this Bunny! I’m going to do this in my next garden!

[@iyanla647]

I've looked all week for a "how to video" about pleaching lime trees, so your video came just at the right time. Now I know what I have to do. Thank you so much!

[@colette8694]

I enjoy your each and every video, always teaching us something 👍🪜 🌳

[@nellamiller1307]

You make it look so easy and doable for anyone Bunny… have always given it some thought..perhaps this year… thank you for the information.. 💚🤗

[@asianangie7209]

Beautiful!

[@noneavailable9121]

Thanks for these tips on managing pleached trees! I'm putting in 15 fruit trees this year, all espalier, for a mini orchard along an existing fenceline.

[@BarriosGroupie]

Yes, the crucial part which has worked for me is watering intensely but infrequently so that the roots stay low and deep: last year as a novice I did it every evening in very hot weather like this, this year once a week but intensely and even two weeks looks OK. Also, I've experimented with the same plants scattered around the garden to work out which parts need the most watering; which unsurprisingly is the South facing part. Mulching has also greatly helped in making this years watering weekly compared to last year.

[@faunalife2906]

A pleached tree 'hedge' looks great no matter what tree species but it would look especially amazing using magnolia grandiflora which you mentioned!

[@pharmkid02]

please give your viewer a seasonly garden tour

[@sararichardson737]

I love Yew

[@jennifert2469]

Yesss thank you!!! They are no where in the US so I have to do it myself

[@bunnyguinness]

It will transform the fence!

[@angellas.1314]

I’ve seen them here in CT.

[@Gardenencyclopedia]

Going to try these myself in Detroit! Any preference over American or European Hornbeam?

[@helenachase5627]

You are my hero Bunny ! I've just bought a barren 10 acres in a zone 3 grain farming area. I wonder how old you are ? You are so strong ! I am 60 and so hoping I can still see the fruits of my labours !

[@angellas.1314]

It’s also the journey that matters. Not just the results!

[@jessicamoran8962]

Beautiful. Not something I see too much here in the States.

[@bunnyguinness]

Praps you should start a trend!🐇

[@jessicamoran8962]

@@bunnyguinness Love too! I think it is magical.

[@brendachadambura275]

Excellent video Bunny! So informative👏! One question I had was how do you go about trimming the side facing your neighbors? Did you leave enough room between the wall and the trees to stand & trim while you’re in your garden or do it go around to your neighbors and trim from there? Just curious as I think about the right space to plant mine:). Thanks again for this lovely video🙂👏.

[@bunnyguinness]

Yes there is just enough room to cut up the back of the pleaching.🐇

[@s44577]

Fabulous video, thank you Bunny! And please, do get those strong lads in summertime to cut your trees so you can video that demonstration as well ;)

[@bunnyguinness]

Next time they come! 🐇

[@Andyware72]

Hi great video can i ask what make of hedge trimmer you using

[@isd605]

Thank you so much, Bunny! Can I create a standard from pittosporum (either eugenioides or tenuifolium)? I want screening up to 20 feet as my neighbors can see right down into my patio and directly across to my upstairs rooms! They have a patio too, so I'm sure they would appreciate the mutual privacy both visually and audibly.

[@khotke]

This is such a helpful video. Thank you so much. Are you using the Pyramidal European Hornbeam (common hornbeam)?? Carpinus betulus 'Fastigiata

[@bunnyguinness]

no, just the ordinary, Carpinus betulus. 🐇

[@mrb5394]

What is a good place to buy the tree your have in the video. The baby hornbeam in the pot.

[@denisewalsh724]

Hi bunny, is it possible to please an already established Lilly Pilly hedge?

[@lorrainemoss-smith8418]

Bunny a question. In your top 10 tips you talk about plant staking. I this video it looks like you have staked the plant. Could you advise whether to stake or not stake for pleaching. Thank you for the tips on pleaching.

[@bunnyguinness]

Hi no they were not staked but I put in the vertical posts in between the rows purely for attaching the wires to so that I could train the horizontal branches onto the wires. These only were used once the trees got to that height, I planted the trees about 2 foot high so there was no support to their trunks at all. In all the research I’ve read it’s better to avoid any stake if you can, cheaper and better for the tree. If you plant big trees in a windy site you may have to, but even then we very rarely do. Hope this helps 🐇

[@merylwilliams2268]

Sorry to bother you but can you recommend a supplier of young hornbeam trees suitable for preaching please? I live in south-west Wales. Thank you for your informative and inspiring content Bunny ❤️

[@ediehickey6083]

So, if I plant a young tree, what (if anything) do I need to do while I wait for it to get to my desired pleaching height?

[@sarahmillson1730]

This is just what I have been looking for, I want a small section of pleached hedge to sit above a stone wall and hide a neighbours shed. I have looked at buying some but the price is too high and I also want the hedge to start at the top of a wall which is 1.2 metres high. Do I used canes to train the horizontal branches? Also what is the name of the roll of tie called?

[@bunnyguinness]

I prefer to use canes as it's easier. If you are on a hugely windy site you will have to tie in well. I get rolls of the plastic tubing from Dejex, a horticultural wholesale supply firm, based near Spalding dejex.co.uk. They call it 'black tying tube', 320m costs £26.64. Hope this helps! 🐰

[@diananazaroff5266]

I have several mandarin orange trees that I've grown from seed that are now at a point where they need to be put in the ground. Do you think I could pleach them? I have a fence where I'm limited on the height of the fence, but there are no limitations to plants. Since they are evergreen, I'm thinking I could get away with using them as a screen of sorts. Do you think it would work?

[@bunnyguinness]

That’s an interesting idea, generally citrus are grafted so you would not prune too hard or the rootstock can take over. As yours are grown from seed this won’t be a problem. They can be quite vigorous and I think it could work quite well. Send me a pix when done - I’m envious!🐇

[@iyanla647]

If I do pleached lime/tilia will it still flower if I trimmed it every year at the same level? Should I prune old branches in the interior from time to time?

[@bunnyguinness]

If you want flowers prune them after flowering in June/July that will be fine then you will still get flowers the following year. You could cut out old branches and train new ones in but I’ve not done that.🐇

[@iyanla647]

@@bunnyguinness Thank you.

[@o6RSEvo]

Hello, what size metal posts did you use? And what did you use to tie the branches? Zip ties?

[@bunnyguinness]

They are 30 mm diameter metal posts and then the plastic tubing to fix the branches to wire strung between the posts. If I was doing again I would forget the posts and just tie in horizontal bamboo canes to branches at each end, unless is a very windy site this works 🐇

[@o6RSEvo]

Thank you so much. Do you happen to have the link to the plastic tubing you used? And how thick and long ideally should the bamboo be?

[@bunnyguinness]

@@o6RSEvo it’s 4mm black thing tube from Dejex . Dejex are horticultural wholesalers in Spalding selling everything for nurseries. The canes need to span the distance of almost the distance between the trunks. When the branches are thin you can use lighter thinner ones but as it matures they need to be stouter maybe 10mm. Dejex sells canes too.🐇

[@Chela_11]

Can I do this to any kind of tree?

[@FireflyOnTheMoon]

Question: does the tree grow from the top or from the bottom? Or both? So if you espalier the bottom tier this year, does that tier move up as it grows, or will it always stay at the young original level? The base level of a tier of a maiden planted in 1988 will still be in that place in 2025?

[@bunnyguinness]

Absolutely it stays in the same place, yes base tier will be in same place 🐇

[@krisbaker9427]

The top grows up, new each year. The bottom grows out, bigger diameter trunk each year. Sometimes you see fencing or signs grown into a tree trunk, they stay at the same level above ground but get swallowed in.

[@joanwalters4741]

What is the distance between the double row? Could a Grand Magnolia be double rowed? This video is a Classic 🌳. Merci🌟🌟🌟

[@bunnyguinness]

Will check think it’s around 2m 🐇

[@bunnyguinness]

I think it’s just over 2 m but will check, yes no reason why you could not do double rows with Mags.🐇

[@elisaangel9789]

Is the neighbor pleased with the trees too?

[@Christian-sh9uh]

Hi Bunny I would like pleached deciduous trees as a screen. I was considering Beech as they hold their leaves in winter, but your hornbeam are dense enough. I have heard beech may be more fragile and prone to disease. Would hornbeam be more resilient and faster growing? Thank you

[@bunnyguinness]

Yes in my experience hornbeam are much easier to establish and they get away far quicker, will tolerate more soil types and are less prone to disease. 🐇

[@Johnnewtongardening]

Dont think she uses that long arm hedge cutter much she didn't know what way it went. That's probably the helps job.

[@bunnyguinness]

I do - but only a couple of times a year and I am totally machine dyslexic!🐇

[@Chela_11]

Can I do this to any kind of tree?

[@bunnyguinness]

I might be wary with some more delicate trees, but if you go onto Deepdale’s website and look under their availability lists you will see multi stems and you can view all the types they sell which gives you an idea of the range. They are wholesalers though but really good trees.🐇