LINDEN

Stately, attractive, densely foliaged trees that grow at a moderate rate. All have irregularly heart- shaped leaves and small, fragrant, yellowish white flowers in droop- ing clusters in late spring, early summer. Flowers develop into nutlets, each with an attached papery bract. Best in deep, rich, moist soil. In cold-winter areas, fall color varies from negligible to a good yellow. Young trees need shaping, older ones only corrective pruning. Aphids can cause honeydew, which drips disagreeably and encourages sooty mold.

american linden, basswood

tilia americana

• Zones US, MS, LS, CS; USDA 6-9.
• Native to eastern North America.
• To 4060 feet tall, 2025 feet wide.
• Straight-trunked tree with a narrow crown.
• Dull, dark green leaves to 46 inches long, nearly as wide.
• Not at its best in city conditions.
• Redmond is a pyramidal form with glossy foliage.

little-leaf linden

tilia cordata

• Zones US, MS; USDA 6-7.
• Native to Europe.
• Dense pyramid to 3050 feet tall, 1530 feet wide.
• Leaves 1123 inches long and as wide (or wider), dark green above, silvery beneath.
• Excellent lawn or street tree for the Midwest and Upper and Middle South.
• Given room to develop its crown, it can be a fine patio shade tree (but expect bees in flowering season).
• Can be sheared into hedges.
• Very tolerant of city conditions.
• Selected forms include 'Chancellor', fast-growing 'Glenleven', dense 'Greenspire', heavy-blooming 'June Bride', and 'Olympic'.
• Summer Sprite is compact, at just 20 feet tall and 15 feet wide.

crimean linden

tilia x euchlora

• Zones US, MS; USDA 6-7.
• Hybrid derived from Tilia cordata.
• To 2535 feet (perhaps eventually to 50 feet.) tall, almost as wide.
• Slightly pendulous branches.
• Rich green, glossy leaves have paler undersides, reach 24 inches long and wide.
• Casts more open shade than Tilia cordata.

silver linden

tilia tomentosa

• Zones US, MS, LS; USDA 6-8.
• From Europe, western Asia.
• To 4050 feet tall, 2030 feet wide.
• Leaves are 35 inches long and wide, light green above, silvery beneath; they turn and ripple in the slightest breeze.
• Good yellow fall color.
• Takes more heat and drought than most other species and isn't as messy.
• Sterling has silvery young leaves and an especially handsome winter silhouette.