Fruit on the Hillside

You'd love to have a vast orchard, but the only available planting space you own is your front yard slope. You're reading up on how to build a terraced garden, but none of your books on terraced garden designs mention fruit trees.

Fear not--you don't have to put up with lines at the grocery store for fresh fruit. You can even plant grape arbors in your elevated gardens--Thomas Jefferson did just that. Espalier apple trees can grow around or in your bottom terraced garden bed. We also like:

• Pear trees
• Peach trees
• Cherry trees
• Lemon trees

Read the directions and the pamphlets to determine how high your tree will grow--you don't want it to overwhelm your terraced garden. Dwarf fruit trees are an attractive alternative. While you may not own enough orange trees to put Florida out of business, you can freshly squeeze your own juice with citrus fresh from your elevated gardens.