Silvery undertones lighten its leaves, its dense branches cast fresh, cool shade in summer, and its fragrant flowers — dried for the herbal tea that soothes restlessness and sleep — are what draw the bees. Give the lime tree (Tilia) at least fifty feet of clearance from any building, and this majestic tree will repay the space many times over.
Lime tree (Tilia) at a glance
Name
Tilia
Family
Malvaceae (mallow family)
Type
tree
Height
16 to 130 feet (15 to 40 meters)
Exposure
full sun, part sun
Soil
ordinary
Foliage
deciduous
Flowering
summer
Harvested part
flower
Since it grows very all, it will need space to develop well.
It is recommended to plant your lime tree in fall to allow for root development before winter.
If purchased in a pot or in a container you may nonetheless plant until spring while avoiding frost spells.
If planting in other seasons than fall, provide for regular watering in order to support root growth.
Position your tree at least 50 to 65 feet (15 to 20 meters) from the nearest building, because this tree grows to be very large…
Avoid siting a lime over a driveway, patio or parking space, since the aphids it hosts shower honeydew and sticky black sooty mould onto whatever sits below.
The lime tree (Tilia species) grows best in deep, moist, fertile soil and tolerates both chalk and clay, but it dislikes ground that remains waterlogged through the winter.
Stake a young standard lime low, at about a third of the trunk height, and slacken the tie as the trunk thickens.
Common lime throws up a thicket of suckers at the base, so choose small-leaved lime or a cultivar such as Greenspire if you would rather not cut them off.
Pruning lime tree or basswood
It isn’t really necessary to prune lime, but if you must prune and reduce branches, do it between the months of late autumn and early spring, but never while it’s freezing.
For larger branches, it may be smart to apply pruning paste on the wounds to avoid having certain diseases move in.
Lime responds well to hard cutting back, readily producing vigorous epicormic shoots from cut stems and trunks, which is why it has long been a classic subject for pollarding and pleaching.
Harvesting lime tree or basswood flowers
Lime tree flowers are generally harvested at the beginning of summer but depending on the area, the harvest may happen sometime during the most part of summer.
The harvest season matches the blooming season for the lime tree.
Pick the flower together with its attached bract
This harvest season is very short and only lasts 2 or 3 days.
You must pick the flower and the bract, which is the kind of leaf that is stuck to the flower.
The best moment to collect lime tree flower is when just a few flowers have opened and all the others are still in bud shape.
These flowers are then spread on clean linens for about a fortnight, in a warm and dry location.
It can even stay outside overnight, provided there’s no chance of rain.
Species and varieties of lime tree or basswood
There are 45 lime tree cultivars. Each can be used and all are ornamental. You simply have to choose!
Which lime tree to plant?
With 45 cultivars to choose from, the practical question is how much room you have and what you want the tree to do. The selection below gathers the limes most often offered by nurseries in Britain and North America.
Which lime tree to plant?
Variety
Mature height
Habit and feature
Best use
‘Greenspire’
40 to 50 ft (12 to 15 m)
Straight central leader, neat conical crown, small dark leaves
Avenues, streets, formal planting
‘Rubra’
65 to 80 ft (20 to 25 m)
Bright red winter shoots, large leaves, early flowers
Lime tree is notorious for its herbal tea and infusions, but it also is a tree with a majestic bearing.
Its leaves have silvery undertones that make it seem very light, whereas its branches which are quite dense will bring fresh, cool shade during summer.
You’ll appreciate its exquisite fragrance and bees are drawn to it for its nectar.
Health benefits of lime tree
Lime tree is traditionally used for herbal tea to alleviate sleeping disorders and soothe restlessness in adults and children alike.
Lime tree or basswood has no side effects whatsoever and can be ingested by the whole family.
The basswood flower also has recognized properties against spasms and fever.
Lastly, studies have shown that regular drinking of lime tree-based herbal tea helped augment natural defenses, especially against colds and common flu.
Lime blossom (linden) tea contains tannins and is usually steeped for about five to ten minutes, though whether longer steeping reliably makes it bitter is not well established.
Lime sapwood, the pale layer just under the bark, is traditionally simmered as a decoction for liver and kidney drainage rather than infused like the flowers.
Diseases and parasites that frequently attack lime tree or basswood
Do not park a car or place a bench under a lime, because aphids shower everything below with sticky honeydew.
On lime (linden) leaves, small red finger-like growths standing up from the blade are nail galls induced by the mite Eriophyes tiliae; they are harmless to the tree and need no treatment.
Check the bare twigs for brown limpet-shaped bumps, the sign of scale insects feeding where honeydew starts.
Smart tip about lime tree
As soon as they open, collect the flowers before they dry and fall.
Dry them outdoors and use them for herbal tea over the winter with a nice spoonful of honey!
Written by Gaspard Lorthiois | Loves helping out, especially when it comes to growing things. Worked in herbal medicine, runs a farm, and dabbles in tech. Master's degree and engineer.
