I would wait until spring, buy them bareroot, plant and then start shaping. But do get a good book, like the RHS book, Growing Fruit (Raintree has it), that guides you for each type of tree. Some you prune back right away, others you let establish roots and begin the following year.

I'd love to find out more about doing espalier with pawpaw's. If anyone has a website or anything with info about doing this, please e-mail it to me. ZoeGirl2006@aol.com . Thanks!!

I have found that the book published by the American Horticulture Society called *Pruning and Training* has the best pictures and directions for espalier. The key to maintenance pruning is in answering the question,"how are fruit formed--on current season growth, last year's growth, or two year old growth?"
Any plant that has bark and grows in your zone can be shaped into an espalier.
As the twig is bent, so grows the espalier.