About Katherine Aby

Since 1995, the focus of my gardening has been all things espalier: learning, practicing, designing, writing and teaching. I am an espalier fanatic. I’ve been enchanted by espalier in the US, Canada, China and the UK. My next research trip will have to be to the Potager du Roi at Versailles in France.

Peter Thuvenot, Ted Pew, Christopher Brickell, Emily Hoover and Leshak Miroslawski have patiently taught me what I know. Espaliers themselves have taught me even more, especially how to recover from a misstep.

While traditional espaliers of apples, pears, cherries, and currants have been the bulk of my work, I’ve also worked on these species: Gingko, Amelanchier, Prunus maackii, Forsythia, and Cercis canadensis. The most concentrated display of my work is at the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum; I’ve been their exclusive espaliest since 1995.

Teaching about pruning and espalier through community education, public arboreta, garden clubs and garden conventions has been a pleasure.

My favorite espalier is a curved arcure fence of Honeycrisp apples at the border of my grounds. The neighbors and their dogs watch the growth of each fruit, mourn with me following hail damage, and restrain themselves from picking the fruit before the squirrels and I get to it.

I am a member of the Garden Writers Association, the Espalier Society, the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association, and the Wood Chip Society.

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