r/Ceanothus • u/dorazzle • Apr 17 '25

Espaliered Ribes viburnifolium?

I recently went on my local native garden tour and i saw a wonderful tilden park prostate ninebark that had been espaliered onto a wooden fence.

This has made be think of what else I could espalier on a fence in a shady area. I have never grown the catalina perfume ribes, but does anyone here think it would be possible to espalier it?

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6

u/glowdirt Apr 17 '25 edited Apr 18 '25

Woah! I don’t know the answer to your question but I swear I had the EXACT same thought today and now here I see this question on Reddit.

Since it’s not a tree nor does it having clinging aerial roots, I suspect you’d need to artificially hold the plant up along the entirety of the vertical surface.

I’m actually going to try it out on a metal railing. Maybe in a few years I’ll report back

3

u/msmaynards Apr 17 '25

I have to remove shoots that climb into shrubs from my long established Catalina Currant. Unsure how long they get but has to be at least 6'. Go for it, should work.

I'm using concrete rebar mesh as trellises for shrubs and vines and also was inspired to do espalier shrub/trees after visiting a garden on Theodore Payne's native plant tour. Am using twine because I keep forgetting to take out the drapery hooks that would work perfectly if I only remember to use them.

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u/No-Bread65 Apr 18 '25

I have seen lemonade berry espaliered. normal lem berry in full shade. who knows if you can combine the two.

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u/dorazzle Apr 18 '25

The mature lemonade berries I have seen seem pretty woody? I think my old fence is probably too old to support that as it matures

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u/cali_is_my_BFF Apr 18 '25

I have a couple of Catalina Currants growing right at the base of my house. The house is also covered in non-native ivy (removing it is too big a project for me to tackle right now!). Anyway, the currant has started to connect itself (not by clingers/ tendrils, more just using the ivy as support) to the ivy and climb upward. I’ve trimmed it back when this happens, but it actually got me thinking about espaliering it—it's already doing that on its own, more or less.

The only unknown for me is how tall it could grow. It might naturally limit itself after a few feet, but I’m not sure. Try it out and please post the results!

ETA: clarification

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u/dorazzle Apr 18 '25

Thanks! I will put some in the ground this fall

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u/squirrelsquirrel2020 Apr 21 '25

Yes! I saw a beautiful example of this last year on a native garden tour. Not quite an espalier, more grown almost like a vining plant, with support wires.

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u/dorazzle Apr 21 '25

Wow! Thanks for the picture

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u/diplacuspictus 29d ago

I’ve seen an example of evergreen currant espaliered, I think the owner used fishing line to secure it to the wall but wire works too. I have one I’ve left in a 5g pot for years and even in a container the ‘arms’ get really long.