Small-leaved Lime

Tilia cordata

The Gardening Year

Best months in UK gardens · full planting calendar →

At a Glance

Overview

Small-leaved Lime (Tilia cordata) is a long-lived deciduous tree native to much of the UK and lowland Europe, widely planted in parks, streets and large gardens for its dense crown, fragrant midsummer flowers and bright autumn colour. The quick-care table below summarises the essentials for UK growers; the full article covers each in detail.

Tilia cordata belongs to the family Malvaceae (formerly placed in Tiliaceae) and is one of two native limes in the British Isles, alongside the naturally hybridising Common Lime (Tilia × europaea). It is a medium to large tree, typically reaching 20 to 30 m in height on a tall, straight trunk in woodland, although open-grown specimens develop a broader, more spreading crown. The species is a familiar component of lowland mixed woodland in England and Wales and is planted as an avenue, parkland and street tree throughout the UK. In midsummer the crown carries clusters of small, pale yellow, intensely fragrant flowers, which are a major source of nectar for honeybees and other pollinators. The RHS rates it H7, the highest hardiness rating, meaning it tolerates temperatures well below -20 °C and is reliable in all parts of the UK. Tilia cordata has been present in British woodland since at least the early post-glacial period and is one of the characteristic native broadleaves of ancient woodland on base-rich soils.

Appearance

Tilia cordata forms a single trunk clothed in smooth, grey-brown bark that becomes shallowly fissured and slightly corky on older specimens. The crown is conical in youth, becoming more rounded and irregular with age, dense enough to cast deep shade in summer. Leaves are alternate, broadly heart-shaped to almost circular, 3 to 9 cm long, and noticeably smaller than those of Common Lime. The upper surface is a dark, slightly glossy green, while the underside is paler, often with small tufts of rust-brown hair tucked into the vein axils — a useful identification feature, as the related Large-leaved Lime (Tilia platyphyllos) has paler, whiter tufts. The leaf margin is finely and regularly toothed. In autumn the foliage turns a clear, buttery yellow, often holding briefly on the tree before leaf fall.

The flowers are produced in late June or July in pendulous clusters of four to ten blooms, each cluster carried on a long stalk fused along most of its length to a pale, narrow, leaf-like bract. Individually the flowers are small, five-petalled and a creamy yellow, with a strong, sweet scent that carries well in warm still air. The bract persists after the flowers fade and acts as a wing, helping the developing fruit to spin away from the parent tree on the wind. The fruit itself is a small, woody, grey-green to buff nut, 8 to 9 mm across, smooth or only faintly ribbed — in contrast to the strongly ribbed fruit of Tilia platyphyllos.

Growing Conditions

Tilia cordata grows best on moist but well-drained, moderately fertile soils, including loams, clays and chalky or calcareous ground. It dislikes both prolonged waterlogging at the root and shallow, very dry soils, although once established it tolerates summer dry spells better than most broadleaves. It prefers a position in full sun but tolerates light or partial shade, particularly in youth, where it is often found as an understorey tree. The species thrives in the lowlands of England and Wales and performs well throughout most of lowland Scotland; in very exposed northern or western gardens the foliage may be damaged by persistent salt-laden wind.

Its natural distribution in Britain is concentrated on the base-rich soils of the south and east, where it grows as a component of mixed deciduous woodland, often alongside oak, ash, hornbeam and field maple. It has been widely planted well beyond this native range and is one of the most reliable large trees for street planting and parkland throughout the UK. As a native, it carries strong wildlife value: the flowers are an important midsummer nectar source, the foliage feeds the larvae of several micro-moth species, and the seeds are eaten by finches and other small birds. The RHS H7 rating makes it suitable for gardens anywhere in the country, including cold inland and northern sites.

Planting and Care

Plant bare-root or rootballed trees between late autumn and early spring, when the ground is workable, while container-grown specimens can be planted at almost any time provided they are kept watered through the first summer. Stake young trees firmly for the first two to three years on exposed sites, and water deeply during any prolonged dry spell in their first two growing seasons. A thick organic mulch, kept clear of the trunk, helps conserve moisture and suppress grass competition. In subsequent years the tree is largely self-sufficient, needing little supplementary feeding on reasonable garden soil; an annual mulch of well-rotted compost in spring is usually sufficient.

Pruning is minimal. Remove dead, damaged or crossing branches, and shorten any excessively vigorous lower limbs where the tree is grown over a path or seating area. The single important rule is to avoid heavy pruning in late winter and early spring: limes bleed heavily from pruning wounds if cut while the sap is rising, which can weaken the tree and attract bleeding canker. Carry out any structural pruning in late summer, between July and early September, or immediately after leaf fall. Hard renovation pruning is tolerated by established specimens.

Propagation is straightforward from seed, although fresh seed requires a period of cold stratification and may take two winters to germinate reliably. Cultivars are propagated by grafting or by semi-ripe cuttings taken in midsummer under mist. Seasonal care is light: check stakes and ties in spring, water in drought, and apply the autumn mulch. A mature small-leaved lime will need no routine attention beyond the occasional tidy of lower growth.

Common Problems

The most visible pest problem in gardens is the lime aphid (Eucallipterus tiliae), a sap-feeding insect that colonises the underside of the leaves in early summer. Heavy infestations produce large amounts of sticky honeydew, which falls onto paths, cars and garden furniture below the tree, where it is colonised by a black sooty mould. Honeydew is unsightly but rarely harms the tree itself, and a strong jet of water or, in severe cases, a single winter wash of the dormant branches helps to keep populations down. The horse chestnut scale (Pulvinaria regalis) also colonises limes in some areas but is usually no more than a cosmetic issue.

Foliar problems include powdery mildew in dry summers — a white, dusty coating on the leaf surface that is unsightly but rarely serious — and leaf-mining insects, whose larvae tunnel between the upper and lower leaf surfaces to produce pale, winding or blotchy marks. The damage is cosmetic and does not require treatment. On poorly drained ground, phytophthora root rot can kill limes; improving drainage or planting on a slight mound is the best prevention. Bleeding canker, in which dark fluid seeps from cracks in the bark, is increasingly reported on lime trees, including T. cordata, particularly on stressed or older specimens. There is no curative treatment, but well-grown trees in suitable soil with adequate water are far less susceptible. The tree is generally free of serious problems in the UK, and a healthy specimen in a good site is one of the least troublesome large garden trees available.

Popular Varieties

Named cultivars of small-leaved lime are relatively few; the most commonly offered are described below.

The species is most often planted as the straight Tilia cordata, but several selected forms are available from UK nurseries. Tilia cordata 'Greenspire' is a widely sold, narrowly conical selection with a strong central leader and uniform growth, frequently used for street and avenue planting because of its tidy habit. Tilia cordata 'Rancho' is a slower-growing, more compact selection with a broadly oval crown, well suited to gardens where the full-sized species would be too large. Variegated and cut-leaved forms are occasionally offered by specialist nurseries, though they tend to be slower-growing and less vigorous than the species. For wildlife value, the plain species is hard to beat, as the heavy-flowering seedlings typical of T. cordata produce particularly rich nectar crops in midsummer.

Pests and Diseases

For step-by-step help, read Controlling Aphids Naturally. Or browse the full plant problem solver to diagnose an issue by symptom.