Caucasian lime

Caucasian lime: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Tree of 15–20 m with a broad, oval crown about 10 m across and drooping lower branches.

Leaf

Alternate, 5–10 cm, lopsided heart-shaped, finely and sharply toothed; glossy dark green above, paler below with brown tufts of hair in the vein axils.

Bark

Grey, smooth, later shallowly fissured; young twigs hairless and yellowish green.

Flower

Clusters of 3–7 fragrant, yellowish-white flowers, in mid-July.

Fruit

Egg-shaped, felted nutlets with a pointed tip.

Difference from small-leaved lime

Small-leaved lime has a smaller, dull leaf with a blue-green underside.

Difference from common lime

Common lime has a duller leaf, a trunk full of shoots and burrs, and lots of aphids.

Flowering: July · Harvest and fruit: April–July · Pruning: November–March

Identify by feature: Heart-shaped leaves · Lopsided leaf base

Looks like it, but isn’t

• Small-leaved lime Tilia cordata: smaller, dull leaf with a blue-green underside. Difference from small-leaved lime
• Common lime Tilia × europaea: duller leaf, a trunk full of shoots and burrs, and lots of aphids. Difference from common lime

Why grow it?

• Hardly any aphids: no sticky honeydew on cars, patio or garden furniture.
• Glossy, dark green leaves that look fresh all summer.
• Fragrant flowers in mid-July for bees and bumblebees.
• A trunk without shoots: little work at the base.
• More compact than large-leaved lime and common lime.

Caucasian lime: where does it grow best?

• Sun to partial shade.
• Almost any soil that is neither too dry nor too wet; ordinary garden soil is fine.
• Suitable near car parks and patios, as almost no honeydew drips from it.
• Allow for 15–20 m in height and a crown about 10 m across: for a park, an avenue or a large garden. Bear in mind the drooping lower branches over paths.

Light

Sun or partial shade

Legal basis

Any garden soil

Moisture

Normal

Size

18 m tall, 10 m wide

Hardiness

Throughout Belgium, no protection needed

Goes well with

• Silver lime: Flowers a few weeks later: together they extend the lime flowering season for bees.
• Lesser periwinkle: Evergreen ground cover for the shade under the crown.
• Holly: An evergreen shrub for the partial shade at the edge of the crown.

Good and bad companions

Goes well with

• Tolerate the shade under this tree: oregon grape, rhododendron, oleaster, japanese skimmia, garden privet, camellia, laurustinus, box-leaved honeysuckle

Caucasian lime: when and how to plant it?

1. Plant from November to March when the ground isn’t frozen.
2. Choose a young root-balled or bare-root tree and plant it at the same depth as it grew before.
3. Put a stake on the windward side and tie the trunk loosely; remove stake and tie after 2–3 years.
4. Water generously after planting and during dry spells in the first two summers.

Care

Watering

In dry spells during the first few years; after that it copes on ordinary garden soil.

Feeding

Not needed; a thin layer of compost around the base is enough.

Crown-lifting

The lower branches droop: gradually crown-lift a tree next to a path or street.

Base of the tree

Keep the ground around the trunk free of grass for the first few years so that the young tree roots well.

Tip: Want a lime near a patio, drive or car park? Choose Caucasian lime: unlike large-leaved lime and common lime, it hardly drips any honeydew.

Caucasian lime: when to prune it?

Pruning months: November–March.

When: During winter dormancy (November–March).

How:

• Little pruning needed. The lower branches droop: crown-lift a street tree gradually.
• Train a young tree on a single leader and remove crossing or competing branches.
• Cut branches just outside the branch collar, never flush with the trunk.

Caution: Don’t crown-lift too much at once: remove only one or two branches at a time, or the tree is weakened and puts out water shoots.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Grafting

As a hybrid it is propagated vegetatively by the nursery; seedlings don’t always resemble the parent tree.

Layering

In winter, bend a low branch down to the ground and cover it with soil; after a year it has roots and you can cut it free.

Caucasian lime: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy throughout Belgium: no protection needed.

• Fully hardy.
• In winter you recognise it by its hairless, yellowish-green twigs and its drooping lower branches.

Diseases and pests

• Drooping branches: The lower branches hang far down and can block a path or street. Crown-lift the tree gradually, in winter.
• Spider mite: In hot, dry summers the leaves turn bronze and drop early. Water young trees; a mature tree leafs out normally the following year.
• Drought in young trees: A newly planted tree needs water in its first summers, or the leaves shrivel.

Through the year

• January: Pruning and crown-lifting during winter dormancy.
• February: Pruning; planting season when it isn’t freezing.
• March: Last month for pruning and planting.
• May: Glossy new leaves.
• July: Flowers in mid-July, buzzing with bees and bumblebees; water young trees in dry spells.
• October: Yellow autumn colour.
• November: Planting season; pruning possible again.
• December: Crown-lift trees next to paths and streets.

What can you use it for?

Garden and landscape

Popular street and park tree: few aphids, so no sticky honeydew.

For wildlife

Its blossom in July is good for bees and bumblebees.

Edible and useful

Blossom (June–July)

Pick the blossom in late June and in July, on a dry, sunny morning, when the flowers have just opened and smell strong. Cut the whole cluster with its long, pale bract. Because there are few aphids on Crimean lime, the blossom is less sticky than on other limes; still always check that it is clean. Leave most of it for the bees and bumblebees. Use the blossom the same day or dry it.

Leaves (April–May)

Pick the young, light green leaves in April and May, as soon as they have just unfolded and are still soft and glossy; later in the season they turn tough. Take only a few leaves per branch so the tree is not stripped bare, preferably from low branches. Rinse them briefly and pat them dry. They taste mild, fresh and slightly mucilaginous, a little like butterhead lettuce.

Storing

Process fresh blossom the same day; until then, lay it loosely on a cloth. Dry it in a thin layer on a rack or in a dehydrator at 35–40 °C and keep it in a closed jar, dry and dark (about a year). Young leaves keep for 2–3 days in a closed box with a little damp kitchen paper in the fridge. Pesto can be frozen in portions. Jelly and vinegar keep for a year.

Caution: Use only fresh, fragrant blossom and young, clean leaves from true limes (Tilia). Recognise the Crimean lime by its glossy, dark green leaves with small tufts of brown hairs in the vein angles underneath, and by its hanging flower clusters with a long, pale bract. Crimean lime is a street and park tree: do not pick beside busy roads, where exhaust fumes and dog urine soil the blossom and leaves, or from sprayed trees, and ask the owner or the council for permission. Do not use sticky or blackened blossom or leaves, or branches full of aphids. Pick sparingly: bees and bumblebees need the blossom. If you are allergic to pollen, start with a very small amount. Never eat anything you have not identified with certainty.

Eating and using is at your own risk: see the terms of use.

Recipes

• Apple and lime blossom jelly (Jelly · ± 4 jars of 250 ml · 1.5 hrs)
• Lime blossom vinegar (Vinegar · ± 500 ml · 10 min + 2 weeks)
• Lime leaf pesto (Dish · ± 1 jar of 200 ml · 15 min)
• Lime leaf salad with goat’s cheese (Dish · 2 servings · 15 min)

Did you know?

• Probably a cross between small-leaved lime and a Caucasian lime. It is a popular street tree because it hardly gets any aphids, so no sticky honeydew drips from it.
• The name euchlora means ‘beautifully green’, after the glossy leaves.
• The drooping lower branches give older trees a typical silhouette that lets you recognise it from afar.