About This Tree
The small-leaved lime is a very adaptive tree. Used extensively by the Victorians due to its ability to cope with air pollution, rife during the industrial revolution. It is also equally proficient at growing on a wide range of tricky soil conditions including heavy clay and even chalky ground.
Limes were a favorite of prominent landscape architects such as Capability Brown and are often seen planted in great avenues of stately homes and parklands, including Stormont's Parliment Buildings here in Belfast. T. cordata is not just for those with large gardens however, it can be grown in the most modest of urban gardens as it makes an excellent pollarded tree or can even be used to provide a stilted pleached hedge. Finally for those blessed with more patience and skill than I, T. cordata makes for an excellent bonsai subject (or so I'm told)!
One of our stately native trees, T. cordata is regarded as one of the best for fresh glossy green foliage. The heart shaped leaves form a rounded canopy of significant stature if allowed to develop fully. Ivory white flowers hang in most attractive clusters and provide a sweet aroma on hot summer evenings.
Received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit in 2002