Silver lime Tilia tomentosa

👤 Non-toxic to humans

🐾 Non-toxic to pets

🌸 Blooming

🍪 Edible

‍🌱 Easy-care

ABOUT

T. tomentosa is a large, deciduous tree of variable habit but usually broadly pyramidal reaching to 25m high. Erect branches are often pendent at their tips with white-felted shoots. Rounded leaves 5-13cm long are sharply-toothed, dark green above and covered in a silvery-white felt beneath, turning yellow in the autumn. Fragrant, small, creamy-white flowers are borne in late summer

Plant Info

Care

Common Problems

About this plant

Names
- Synonyms
  Silver Linden, Silver Lime, European White Lime
- Common names
  Tilia argentea, Tilia alba, Tilia petiolaris, Tilia tomentosa var. alba, Tilia tomentosa var. argentea, Tilia tomentosa f. alba, Tilia tomentosa f. argentea.
Characteristics
- Life cycle
  Perennials
- Foliage type
  Deciduous
- Color of leaves
  Green
- Flower color
  Yellow
- Height
  50 feet (15 meters)
- Spread
  35 feet (10.7 meters)
- Plant type
  Tree
- Hardiness zones
  5
- Native area
  Europe

Benefits

General Benefits
- Shade provider: Tilia tomentosa, commonly known as silver linden, has a dense canopy that provides ample shade, making it a popular tree in parks and along streets.
- Aesthetic appeal: With its attractive foliage, silver linden is often used in landscape designs for its beauty throughout the seasons.
- Pollinator attractor: The flowers of the silver linden are highly fragrant and attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects, supporting biodiversity.
- Urban tolerance: Silver linden is known for its ability to withstand urban conditions, including pollution and soil compaction.
- Noise reduction: As a large tree, it can act as a natural sound barrier, helping to reduce noise pollution in urban areas.
- Windbreak: Its size and canopy density allow the silver linden to serve as a windbreak, offering protection from strong winds in landscapes and property.
- Erosion control: The root system of silver linden helps to stabilize the soil and prevent erosion, particularly on slopes.
- Seasonal interest: Silver linden provides seasonal changes in color, from lustrous green leaves in summer to yellow fall foliage, adding variety to the environment.
Medical Properties
- Antispasmodic: May help relieve muscle spasms.
- Sedative: Could have calming effects and potentially aid in reducing anxiety or promoting sleep.
- Diaphoretic: Sometimes used to promote sweating.
- Anti-inflammatory: May reduce inflammation in the body.
- Expectorant: Traditionally used to alleviate coughs by helping to expel mucus from the airways.
- Diuretic: May increase urine production, potentially aiding in detoxification and reducing fluid retention.
- Antioxidant: Contains compounds that may protect cells from oxidative damage.
- Anxiolytic: Might have a mild anxiety-reducing effect.
Air-purifying Qualities
This plant is not specifically known for air purifying qualities.
Other Uses
- Tilia tomentosa, commonly known as silver linden, can be used as a wood source for carving and intricate woodworking due to its fine grain and workability.
- The inner bark of silver linden, also known as bast, can be used for making ropes or mats because of its fibrous quality.
- Silver linden's nectar-rich flowers are attractive to bees, which makes them valuable for honey production.
- The wood of silver linden can also be used for making musical instruments, particularly lightweight woodwinds, due to its resonant qualities.
- Leaves of the silver linden can be used as a natural dye for textiles, imparting a yellowish color.
- The dried flowers of silver linden can be incorporated into potpourris for their pleasant fragrance.
- Wood from silver linden trees is suitable for making veneers that are used in fine furniture and cabinetry.
- In landscape design, silver linden trees can be used as windbreaks, particularly in larger open areas.
- Beeswax obtained from hives that pollinate silver linden flowers is of high quality and can be used for making candles and cosmetics.
- Silver linden leaves can be composted and used as mulch, benefiting gardens and landscapes by enriching the soil.

Interesting Facts

Feng Shui
The Silver Linden is not used in Feng Shui practice.
Zodiac Sign Compitability
The Silver Linden is not used in astrology practice.
Plant Symbolism
- Love: Silver Linden trees, as with many in the Tilia genus, are often seen as symbols of love and affection, their heart-shaped leaves resonating with the universal symbol for love.
- Peace: In European folklore, linden trees were considered a symbol of peace and were often planted in community spaces where meetings and gatherings were held to resolve conflicts.
- Hospitality: The linden tree has long been a sign of hospitality; its presence in the landscape suggested a welcoming and friendly place for visitors and travelers.
- Justice: In Germanic cultures, village elders often held court sessions beneath the protective canopy of linden trees, thus associating the trees with fairness and justice.
- Domestic Tranquility: The pleasant scent of the Silver Linden's flowers and the dense foliage providing cool shade connect it with a sense of calm and homeliness, often being planted in home gardens for this quality.
- Community: Because historical meetings were often held under the linden, the tree is seen as a gathering place, symbolizing unity and community spirit.

💧

Every 2-3 weeks

Water

☀️

2500 - 10000 Lux

Light

💦️

Humidity

🪴

Every 2-3 years

Repotting

🌱️

Spring-Early Summer

Propogation

✂️️

Not needed

Pruning

Water
The Silver Linden (Tilia tomentosa) should be watered deeply to ensure moisture reaches the root zone, typically using 1 to 1.5 gallons per watering for young trees, increasing amounts as the tree matures. Newly planted Silver Lindens require more frequent watering, about twice a week, especially during the warmer months, to establish a strong root system. Mature trees can be watered less frequently, once every two to three weeks, depending on rainfall and soil moisture level. Always check the soil moisture before watering; the top 2-3 inches of soil should be dry to the touch before adding more water. Over-watering can lead to root rot, so it’s essential to avoid soggy soil.
Light
The Silver Linden prefers full sun to partial shade. The ideal spot for this tree would be an open area where it receives at least six hours of direct sunlight per day, though it can tolerate some light shade. Avoid placing it in deep, shady areas, as this can reduce its vigor and flowering potential.
Temperature
Silver Lindens thrive in a range of temperatures, from as cold as -30 to -20°F in winter up to 90°F in summer. They are hardy and can survive brief temperature extremes. However, the ideal temperature range for the Silver Linden is between 60°F and 75°F. They can be grown in USDA hardiness zones 4 to 7.
Pruning
Prune the Silver Linden to remove dead or damaged branches and to shape the tree, usually in late winter or early spring before new growth starts. Pruning can also be done to improve air circulation within the canopy. It's generally recommended to prune these trees every 3 to 5 years. Avoid heavy pruning, which can stress the tree and encourage excessive sprouting.
Cleaning
As needed
Soil
Silver Linden prefers well-drained, fertile soils with a pH typically between 5.5 and 7.5. A mix of loam, peat, and sand can provide good structure and nutrients for optimal growth.
Repotting
Silver Lindens, being large trees, are generally not repotted often. Young potted specimens may be repotted every 2 to 3 years to encourage growth.
Humidity & Misting
Silver Linden trees are hardy and adaptable but typically prefer average humidity levels that reflect their native temperate climate.
Suitable locations
- Indoor
  Large species; not suitable for typical indoor cultivation.
- Outdoor
  Ensure full sun, ample space, and well-drained soil; not a typical garden plant.
- Hardiness zone
  4-7 USDA
Life cycle
Tilia tomentosa, commonly known as the silver linden, begins its life as a seed, which after dispersal in favorable conditions, germinates and sprouts into a seedling. The seedling grows into a juvenile tree, developing a strong root system and beginning to form a woody trunk as it matures into an adult tree. The mature silver linden then enters a phase of reproductive maturity, characterized by flowering in early summer with small, fragrant yellowish flowers that attract bees, facilitating pollination. Following pollination, flowers develop into small, round nutlets that are attached to a leafy, wing-like bract aiding in seed dispersal by wind. The tree may enter a period of senescence as it ages, which is marked by a decrease in growth and reproductive capacity before eventually dying. Throughout its life cycle, the silver linden may also undergo periods of dormancy, particularly in winter, to survive adverse weather conditions.
Propogation
- Propogation time
  Spring-Early Summer
- The most popular method of propagation for the Silver Linden (Tilia tomentosa) is by seed. The best time to collect seeds is in the fall after they mature but before they disperse. To propagate by seed, one should first stratify the seeds to simulate winter conditions, which can be done by placing them in a bag with moist sand or peat moss and storing them in a refrigerator at about 34-40 degrees Fahrenheit (1-4 degrees Celsius) for a couple of months. Once stratified, the seeds can be sown in the spring in a well-prepared seedbed with loose and fertile soil; covering them with a light layer of soil no more than a quarter inch (about 6 millimeters) deep. Seeds typically germinate within one to two months under ideal conditions, and once the seedlings have developed a couple of true leaves, they can be transplanted to their permanent location.