Littleleaf linden

Sun

Full sun to partial shade; the densest crown develops in full sun.

Water

Moderate; keep young trees evenly moist. Established trees tolerate some drought but grow best with moisture during prolonged dry spells.

Soil

Well-drained, moderately fertile soil that retains some moisture; tolerates clay and a broad pH range, including alkaline soil. Avoid persistently waterlogged ground.

Height

50-70 ft (15-21 m)

Spread

35-50 ft (11-15 m)

Flowers

Early to midsummer; fragrant, pale yellow flowers hang in clusters beneath narrow, pale green bracts.

Foliage

Small, finely toothed, heart-shaped leaves, dark green above and paler beneath, with rusty hair tufts at the vein junctions underneath. Usually turns yellow in autumn.

Growth

Moderate, usually about 1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m) a year once established under good conditions.

Care needed

Medium

• Pollinators
• Cold hardy
• Wildlife
• Low allergen
• Fragrant

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Very tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   7 ft (2.2 m)

2. After 1 year

   10 ft (3 m)

3. After 2 years

   12 ft (3.7 m)

4. After 3 years

   15 ft (4.5 m)

5. After 5 years

   20 ft (6.1 m)

About 20 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Native to

the UK

Growth rate

Moderate

• Water deeply during dry weather for the first two or three growing seasons, moistening the root ball and surrounding soil.
• Maintain a 2-3 in (5-8 cm) layer of organic mulch over the root zone, keeping it clear of the trunk.
• Plant with the root flare at soil level; avoid burying the trunk or adding soil over established roots.
• Feed only if a soil test or poor growth indicates a nutrient shortage; routine lawn fertiliser is usually unnecessary.
• Stake only if the root ball moves in wind, and remove ties once the tree is stable, usually within one growing season.

Pruning. Prune in late winter while dormant, removing dead, damaged or crossing branches and developing a single main leader on young trees. Avoid topping and large cuts; established pleached trees need regular trimming to retain their framework.

Late winter

Make structural pruning cuts on young trees and inspect stakes and ties.

Spring

Plant where the soil is workable, water thoroughly and mulch without covering the root flare.

Late spring

Check new leaves for aphids and watch for sticky honeydew beneath the canopy.

Summer

Water young trees deeply during dry spells; inspect foliage for beetle damage or spider mites.

Late summer

Trim the season's extension growth on established pleached trees if needed.

Autumn

Plant during mild weather where winters permit, and collect fallen leaves for leaf mould.

• Use as a specimen shade tree in a large lawn, leaving space for the full canopy.
• Plant in avenues or broad garden approaches for a consistent canopy and formal rhythm.
• Train as a pleached screen to define garden rooms or provide elevated privacy.
• Underplant an established tree with shade-tolerant perennials for a layered woodland edge.

Garden styles it suits: Formal, Traditional, Grand estate, English manor, Woodland and Pollinator garden.

Plant it with: Epimedium, Lungwort, Hardy geranium, Christmas fern, Snowdrops and Hellebores.

Wildlife: The fragrant flowers provide nectar and pollen for bees and other insects. The canopy offers shelter and nesting sites for birds, and the leaves support various moth caterpillars.

• Aphids can produce sticky honeydew that coats paving, cars and furniture. Encourage natural predators and hose reachable foliage; avoid placing seating or parking directly beneath the canopy.
• Japanese beetles can skeletonise leaves where established in North America. Hand-pick beetles from young trees; avoid beetle traps beside the tree, which can attract more adults.
• Spider mites may cause stippled or bronzed leaves in hot, dry weather. Reduce drought stress and rinse reachable leaf undersides; avoid broad-spectrum insecticides that kill predatory mites.
• Drought, compacted soil and restricted rooting space can cause leaf scorch and early leaf fall. Water deeply, mulch broadly and keep traffic and excavation away from the root zone.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses. No part is recognised as a significant poisoning hazard, though eating large amounts of plant material may cause digestive upset.

• Large-leaved lime (Tilia platyphyllos)

  Usually has larger leaves with conspicuous pale hairs beneath, especially along the veins, and hairy young shoots; littleleaf linden has mostly hairless shoots and rusty hair tufts beneath the leaves.

• Silver linden (Tilia tomentosa)

  Its leaf undersides are densely covered in silvery-white hairs, giving the whole canopy a flashing silver appearance in wind.

• American basswood (Tilia americana)

  Typically has much larger leaves, often 4-8 in (10-20 cm) long, compared with the usually 1.5-3 in (4-8 cm) leaves of littleleaf linden.

Tilia is the Latin name for the linden tree, and cordata means heart-shaped, referring to the leaves.

Propagation. Seed requires warm and cold stratification and may take two years or longer to germinate. Named cultivars are usually propagated by budding or grafting to preserve their characteristics.

Accepted botanical name

Tilia cordata

In the US and Canada

Introduced in Canada and the lower 48 states.

Native range

Albania, Altay, Austria, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Central European Rus, Corse, Czechoslovakia, Denmark and East European Russia.

Measured

Soil pH 4.8 to 7.2. Average height 1523 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.