About
A large vigorous deciduous tree to 30m tall, with an uniformly semi-upright habit, the twigs reddish in winter. The pendent clusters of 3-5 pale yellow flowers are sweetly aromatic, and produced in midsummer; pollarding highlights the young red shoots for winter colour. Heart-shaped dark green leaves to 12cm in length, turn yellow in autumn.
About the 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
Growing conditions
SunlightFull sun, Partial shade
Soil typeChalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil pHAlkaline, Neutral
Soil moistureMoist but well-drained
AspectWest-facing, South-facing, East-facing
ExposureSheltered
UK hardinessH6
Plant details
Plant typeTrees
HabitColumnar upright
FoliageDeciduous
HeightHigher than 12 metres
Spreadwider than 8 metres
Time to full height20-50 years
Suggested usesArchitectural, Wildlife gardens
FragranceFlower
Care notes
CultivationSuitable for parks and very large gardens. Grow in moist but well-drained soil in full sun or part shade, with shelter from cold winds. May produce thickets of stems (suckers) at the base of the trunk. For more advice see tree cultivation
PruningPruning group 1; a suitable tree for coppicing, pleaching and pollarding; remove suckers at the base of the trunk in spring
PropagationPropagate by chip budding although care must be taken with the choice of rootstock or propagate by suckers in winter
Pest resistanceMay be susceptible to aphids, horse chestnut scale, caterpillars, sawflies and gall mites
Disease resistanceMay be susceptible to sooty mould, phytophthora root rot and honey fungus