A quote considered to be one of the best Saturday Night Live quotes is a “Deep Thoughts” quote by Jack Handey about trees: “If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason.” Very funny. It has been scientifically proven that certain trees inspire deep thoughts. Every year 33,000 people go to visit the 400-year old apple tree in England that helped inspire Sir Isaac Newton to pen his theory of gravitational force. People are inspired by deep thoughts. But there's no chance that any of the 33,000 guests will be able to experience nature in quite the same way Newton did because the tree is now fenced off and apples really do not fall very far from the tree. Nevertheless, there are still some opportunities out there. My interest in this subject began as I began contemplating some Hamptons espalier apple trees.
The recorded history of espalier fruit trees traces back to 17th century Northern France. It was the combination of beauty and practicality that led to its popularity. Both the beauty of the 2-dimensional, horizontally latticed branch forms and the allowance for more garden space made a lasting impression. When espaliered apple trees are lined up end to end they appear to be dancers poised with arms outstretched horizontally touching limb to limb. And whether against a wall or bordering a garden or a yard, the effect is both beautiful and practical.
Lee Reich offered some insightful thoughts about espaliered fruit trees in his succinctly titled classic, “The Pruning Book” published in 1997. In an article he penned for the New York Times, he outlines a key paradox of fruit production:
“In all plants, there is also an inverse relationship between stem fruitfulness and stem vigor: the weaker the stem, the more fruit it has.” He goes on to write, “More vertically oriented stems are thus less fruitful and stronger growing, especially in their upper portions, while horizontal stems tend to grow more weakly but to be more fruitful, while forming more branches along their length.” Reich’s quotes about pruning are reminiscent of some other classic quotes about life: “when I am weak, then I am strong.” and “…every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”
Some life lessons gleaned from espaliered apple trees:
1. Beauty and practicality are not necessarily mutually exclusive, but can be quite complementary.
2. Training and sacrifice may seem difficult, but the end results make sacrifices worthwhile.
3. Good training in life may take longer than expected, but in the end the amount of fruitfulness makes up for the time expended.
4. What at first seems to be a negative weakness may actually be considered a positive strength when the bigger picture is considered.
5. There is a wealth of practical wisdom to be gained in observing and contemplating nature.
Beauty and practicality can work together in harmony – Nature is filled with wonderful examples of beauty and practicality working together in harmony. Modern architecture was largely based on the maxim, “Form follows function.” But I prefer Frank Lloyd Wright’s more organic holistic quote, “Form does not follow function. Rather, form and function are one.” This may seem like splitting hairs, but if you are a designer it may help you to pick up the subtle difference.
Training sacrifices are worth the effort – Looking back on our lives, I think we would all agree that painful and difficult experiences in life are things we would normally wish to avoid. However, it is in these difficult experiences that we are unexpectedly trained for more productive and fruitful times. The difficult experiences in life not only change our abilities, but at the same time tend to change our values.
Good training is worth the expended time – Espalier apple trees are trained over many decades. It is the increased production and the sweetness of the fruit that highlight the fact that the time was well spent. There is some faith involved because we cannot be assured that the training was good and valuable until after the training has been completed and utilized.
Weaknesses may be considered strengths when the bigger picture is considered – Lee Reich summarized the main paradox of espalier trees: “horizontal stems tend to grow more weakly but to be more fruitful, while forming more branches along their length.” Is the main purpose of an apple tree to be strong or to bear fruit? We can ask similar kinds of questions in our own lives. We may have certain areas where we believe we should be strong and fruitful when there are other weak areas in our lives that, by learning and growing, could serve as the basis for more valuable fruit. It's never too late to reevaluate our lives and consider turning “negatives” into positives.
Practical wisdom can be gleaned simply by observing and contemplating nature – Jokes about apple trees aside, many throughout history have advocated the contemplation of nature as a source of inspiration and knowledge. William Shakespeare, for example, wrote, “And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything.” Israel’s wise king Solomon advocated the contemplation of nature in a proverb: “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.” And Frank Lloyd Wright, who many consider America's greatest architect, received inspiration for his design details from nature. He wrote, “Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.”
My contemplation of apple trees began in earnest with the espalier varieties presently available at Warren’s Nursery in Water Mill, NY. And I’ve found that there is a lot more to these trees than what meets the eye. Warren’s is presently offering a 35-five-year-old stock of freshly-blooming espalier apple trees that have been locally grown and trained, both McIntosh and Red Delicious varieties. An interesting installation could be to create an outdoor "room" or shaped spaces using walls of espaliered apple trees for the purpose of getting away to contemplate life and nature.
Photo by Daryoosh Farahani
