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Trees

Tilia × europaea

common lime

A large, deciduous tree reaching over 30m. The asymmetric heart-shaped leaves are green turning yellow in autumn. Highly fragrant flowers in summer are cream-green but scarcely visible. In the winter, the young, bare twigs are red-bronze

Other common names

European basswood
European lime
see moreRussian bast tree

Synonyms

Tilia × vulgaris
Tilia × intermedia

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Ultimate height

Higher than 12 metres

Time to ultimate height

20–50 years

Ultimate spread

Wider than 8 metres

Chalk

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

East–facing or South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Malvaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: Yes
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Spreading branched
Genus: Tilia are deciduous trees with broadly ovate or heart-shaped leaves and pendulous clusters of fragrant yellow-green flowers, followed by conspicuous winged fruits
Name status: Correct
Plant range: Europe

How to grow

Cultivation

Suitable for parks and very large gardens. Grow in moist but well-drained soil in full sun or part shade, with shelter from cold winds. Highly prone to producing thickets of stems at the base (suckers) and burrs on the trunk. For more advice see tree cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by seed, stratified in containers outdoors in spring. See propagate from seed (tree/shrub) Propagate by chip budding although care must be taken with the choice of rootstock or propagate by suckers in winter

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Architectural
Wildlife gardens

Pruning

Pruning group 1; a suitable tree for pleaching and pollarding; remove suckers at the base of the trunk or burrs on the trunk in early spring

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids, horse chestnut scale, caterpillars, sawflies and gall mites

Diseases

May be susceptible to sooty mould, Phytophthora root rot and honey fungus

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