It's a unique way to do things

It's a unique way to do things George Washington's estate, Mount Vernon, has some of the however oldest espaliers in the U.S. Colonists brought the technique with them from Europe, where gardeners in France and England had trained fruit trees to grow against walls. The walls retained heat and helped the trees produce fruit in climates too cold for traditional orchards.

Crum began experimenting with orange and grapefruit trees when he lived in Florida.

"It's a unique way to do things," he said. "It doesn't require a lot of space, and it's fun." Crum moved back to Idaho six years ago to be near his daughter.

In his garden, he's growing five espaliers. Three are grafted apple trees that produce Golden Delicious, McIntosh Red, Gala and Gravenstein. One espalier is a Golden Delicious tree, and another is a cherry tree that produces Bing, Royal Ann, Rainier and Van.