The trees need to be selected and pruned to keep them the size desired, ideally no more than 3.5 feet tall. On apples, this can be accomplished by using a combination of dwarfing root stock, dwarfing interstem, and spur type fruit. Even with the newer cultivars, it may be three or more years before any fruit is produced. These trees lend themselves well to culture in half of a whiskey barrel or half of a 55 gallon drum. Apples and pears are often trained to cordons and espaliers when grown in ground level beds.
Cordons are single stem trees grown at a forty-five degree angle.
Many trees like these can be grown in a relatively small space. Espaliers have selected vertical branches trained to wires. Both cordons and espaliers take much pruning and work in the early years but are better suited to limited space than other trees and can be maintained at a height close enough to the ground to be cared for by someone in a wheel chair. Annuals are very popular in gardens for many reasons. They are generally easy to grow, fast blooming plants which can provide quick, if only temporary, color to the garden.