Many fruits (particularly tree fruits such as apples, pears and stone fruit), can be grown in a number of different trained forms: against a wall or fence, along support wires or fencing or beside paths. These specially trained forms have many advantages over unrestricted trees, as they can be much easier to spray, prune, thin and harvest. They are also ideal for gardens with limited space.

Unrestricted trees develop in much the same way as a tree would in the wild, with a limited amount of formative pruning. They are available in a range of heights, so may be grown in small or large gardens; however, as they are free-standing, they take up more space than wall-trained restricted forms such as espaliers or fans.

With the right technique, the pliable shoots of young bush and tree fruits may be trained into almost any shape. As long as they receive regular, basic pruning, the branches will retain this form as they mature and establish. Young fruit trees may be purchased at several stages of growth: maiden whips (a single stem comprising one season's growth) allow for early training and often transplant better than older trees, although they take longer to produce fruit. Two-year-old trees will provide you with a crop of fruit sooner, and good specimens can be easily trained.