Rhubarb Rhubarb by Mary Jane Paterson

Author:Mary Jane Paterson [Thompson, Mary Jane Paterson and Jo]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781783528714
Publisher: Unbound
Published: 2020-02-11T16:00:00+00:00

This is a recipe for a simple espaliered shape:

1. Get yourself an unfeathered maiden (don’t ask – just request this when you’re buying), and then cut the main stem down to about 30cm from the ground. It feels quite brutal doing this, but it’s intrinsic to success later on. (As an aside, it’s the same with a lot of clematis, which really should be chopped down to a certain height when they first go in the ground – but that is a whole other story.)

2. Identify the top three buds (before you start panicking, remember to consult handy diagram) and let them grow out during spring. Then fix some horizontal wires on the wall, and get some canes, too, for good measure. Train the top one up a vertical cane, and tie the others to canes set at 45 degrees to the main stem. In November, bend these VERY carefully until they are horizontal and tie them to the horizontal wires that you put in at the beginning of the process. Basically, in spring you’re merely suggesting to the new branches that they should be going in a particular direction; new branches are very flexible and obedient and will go wherever you want them to go, but they can’t take instructions quickly and will snap if bent before they’ve done their spring warm-up. By November, these limbs have got their minds around where they’re heading, and just need a little nudge. A bit like yoga, really.

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