MadFerret, I've read and implemented in my pears/apples the Lorettes summer pruning techniques which could help your situation once you have your rootstock preference. I picked the book up at library sale and it's definitely musty, ca. 1942. I've seen, int the books pictures, some loaded espaliers that were quite impressive. All #1 fruit. Believe it or not, I got my (2 yr from purchased) standard bartlett to flower lots last May. I've read that some pears take a really long time, and I don't know what's the case for Bartletts. It's a 2"caliper tree. Cold temps during pollination yielded no fruit. I have more flower buds for the spring too. I guess summer pruning as done from July-Early september, as the sap is on the decline, promotes the formation of fruitng buds from the basal buds, without initiating a vigorous flushing of vegetative growth. The prunings are dictated by sucker/vegetative development, as they emphasize cutting into new 'wood'/lignified tissue. Be sure to leave some wood for grafting! I'm not a commercial grower but enjoy reading about different techniques like Lorette's that may apply in a small orchard. Have fun! noogy

I agree that you need some big items (like big shrubs or trees) to define the space and dramatic edging if you plan to keep grass in the interior of the design. If you do keep grass, I think you'd want to keep it golf course-short so that it didn't compete with the plants. With what you have drawn, I'd at minimum put big items on the corners, or symmetrically placed in the ceneters of each long bed. Choose something you like that can be repeated, that will give you multiple season interest, and that won't swamp your beds or shade them too much. I googles deer-resistant shrubs and trees and found several items - you could see what works in your climate. My mom has crabapples and an apple orchard in an arrea that gets >100 deer in the immediate vicinity, but I don't know how they would do if they were the most appealing foodstuff in the area. If they work, might be a possibility. Me, I would lose the grass in the interior entirely, and also look for some perennials and shrubs that grow more than 3 feet tall to intersperse with the rest.

...and finally, a few terse paragraphs about the design and the thinking behind it. (I hadda write it up because an acquaintance insisted that I enter it in a garden contest, even though we're only half finished with the garden.) ===== Before the design process began we examined many types of traditional designs, including French box gardens, English cottage gardens and Renaissance gardens from around the world. We have incorporated many aspects of these traditional ideas into our edible landscape. In our opinion we have successfully captured the feel of meditation gardens, as well. When fully mature, the plantings in our landscape will be 'bio-intensive', as is often seen in traditional European and English cottage gardens. Our primary goal is to transform every square inch of the front yard into an edible landscape. In time, the sod will be replaced with edible ground covers. Other than concerns for soil compatibility and allowances for available sunlight, we are planting annual herbs and vegetables in concert with all of the edible perennials. The nutrients provided by each edible plant have been taken into consideration in the planning of this project. As a result of the design and installation, the result will be as maintenance free as is possible while remaining within our budgetary constraints. The overall design includes a labyrinth, which is more complex than it might seem at first glance. We have also incorporated a simplified rectangular mandala. A Celtic Cross, or Solar Cross, can be also be seen in the layout of the pathway. Some have asked why we chose persimmons as the centerpiece instead of the more traditional water feature. Persimmons are known as the 'food of the gods'. This concept fits with the imagery of the solar and Celtic cross(es) and reflects the overall themes and histories of labyrinths and mandalas. The longest part of the pathway lines up almost directly east/west, and conjoins with the autumnal equinox. That was a matter of happenstance, rather than planning, but it is incorporated into the design. These concepts were part of the original design and remained a part of every consideration during the process. Philosophically? (Offered as questions, of course.) Why do the green-ways in the garden narrow around the tree beds? Why did we bother with all of the straight lines, when the garden will be so 'bio-intensive' at maturity? Many of the mature plants will -eventually- constrain the walk through the garden, making it necessary to dodge branches and step around plantings as you 'dance the labyrinth' of this project. Why did we design it that way? How will the rise and fall (remember the grade and level mentioned above) of your path through the garden also reveal your path through life? In the design of this landscape, the ground is neither flat nor level. The four outer edges of the garden do allow enough grade to maintain the original drainage on the property. Each of the four 'rooms' of the garden tilts towards the center. This aspect of the design will hold and retain water and prevent excessive run-off during the region's normal rain showers. The plans include eight raised beds which provide five hundred square feet of space for 'square foot' vegetable gardening. The boxes around the raised beds will be leveled and plumbed. The shorter raised beds (fourteen feet in length) are each on the same level. The four beds that are twenty-two feet in length will sit approximately three inches lower than the shorter beds. In this fashion, by using straight lines and manipulating the grade and level, the space has become a three dimensional geometric sculpture. We kept the traditional circular tree beds in order to provide relief from (and contrast with) the straight lines. The major plantings will add contrast and beauty to that geometric sculpture with their naturally occurring 'fractal' growth habits. Although the fruit trees will be pruned and shaped, they, too, will form a component of this fractal contrast and beauty. We are pruning our young fruit trees using a combination of vase shape and espalier techniques. The exception will be the persimmon trees which will be maintained in a semi-open shape. We have double planted our fruit trees in order to provide a greater variety of fruits, vitamins and minerals in our diet. Double planting ensures cross pollination and offers more and better fruit than might otherwise be found in such a small space. The competition for resources will help to further reduce the size of the trees when they reach maturity. Budget and other considerations: This particular design is not a project for a novice gardener. We recommend that a novice utilize the services of a professional gardener and/or a landscape designer to achieve an edible landscape of this complexity. Thus far, we've invested $2,300 over two years. With our current budget and schedule, we plan to spend an additional $1,500 to $2,000 over the next two years. Costs include soil amendments, compost, peat moss, edging, stakes, sand, mulch, plants and seeds. In keeping with the idea of not breaking too many shoestrings, we provided our own labor and we used nothing but hand tools to implement this project. Most of the one thousand flower bulbs installed in the beds around the property lines were gifts. We saved money on the gravel for the walkways by re-grading and leveling the driveway, which was considerably above grade when we bought this property. We've used two tons of homemade compost in our beds, saving even more on our installation. ROI? Last year we filled two freezers with fresh fruits and vegetables and had dozens of meals of fresh produce from our garden. In short, over the last year and a half, the garden has returned our current investment. In addition, in a few short years, this garden will be valued at several tens of thousands of dollars. Increasing the equity in our homes seemed like a good idea when we began to plan and install our Formally, Informal English Garden. In view of the quick return on our investment, it seems like an even better idea, today. ===== Oh, yeah...pics... I call this series "fractals vs geometry."

I thought about that (clover), but then ruled it out... have various types of clover on the property, it doesn't thrive like I've seen it in other places, so it's low on the possibility lists... I'm trying now to find a reasonably priced source for Timothy grass/hay because while it's a good cover crop, it would also provide for fresh grazing as well as harvesting other sections to dry for later use. Buckwheat has a vote for one of what I foresee as being multiple sowings in a year. I know soybean is grown around here as a commercial crop. I'm wondering how well it does as a cover crop to be tilled under. Anyone know? I find myself contemplating growing hybrid corns (I'm not so much on hybrids these days) in tandem with the different grazing sections as those will be rotated and I could stagger plantings. I figure the corns to be used as a natural windblock and for providing some shade naturally instead of relying solely upon a non-breathing tarp tented over an area. I was surprised to read that for wild cottontail rabbits, Kentucky Bluegrass is a staple during almost every month of the year for them. I feel that KY Bluegrass is really better suited to be sown and not tilled under, but rather perpetuating it in situ, so I'm scoping out the property for areas that could certainly do with some "lawn" and could readily double to be in the rotation chain of grazing sites for the bunnies. With more suggestions and ideas, the more things are coming together in my head in order to have an actual "plan" on how to tackle this project, especially since it is intended to be used on a schedule. I'm time-sharing compiling info for multipurpose ground cover plants with mentally drafting the grazing pens to provide them with safety, but also low-maintenance and not a complete and total PITA to move from one section or site to another!