Limb training?

Many of the houses here have a funky landscaping feature that I’ve never seen before. People are making huge trellises in front of their houses by training the limbs of a certain kind of tree to grow straight across at a 90° angle from the trunk. They start out with anywhere from 3 to 8 trees, trellis trees I call them now, and plant them about about 4 feet apart. These trees stand at least as tall as the roof line, but without any branches. Then they use wire to make an actual trellis to serve as a guide for the branches when they begin to grow. The branches grow across from one trunk to another, and the final result is a sort of crosshatch pattern to decorate the front of your house. Do you get it yet? Look, let me show you.  Here is what you start out with – click the pictures to enlarge them so you can really see what’s going on:

 

See how the branches have just begun to extend across to the next trunks? They are still quite thin and without much growth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The branches are thicker and have begun to bloom on this house.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a more mature look – and this one even wraps around the house on the left. How cute!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think this is such a different and interesting way to landscape, but I’m not sure that it always works. I love the house in the 3rd picture above, but I’m not so sure about the others. What do you think?