A few weeks ago, at a really good restaurant, I splurged on a dessert of buttermilk panna cotta with raspberries. That ethereal creation came garnished with preserved linden leaves and fruits. I had never eaten anything from a linden tree—Tilia–before, and was intrigued. The leaves and tiny, nut-like fruits were sweet from the preserving liquid and just a little tangy. Our outdoor table was shaded by a large linden tree, which was undoubtedly the source of the garnish. With a single dessert, the linden tree appeared on my horticultural radar.
I think many cities and towns in the eastern half of America boast a “Linden Street” or a “Linden Avenue”. Most of those roadways were probably originally planted with American linden trees or Tilia americana. Those earlier lindens were deciduous beauties that made perfect street specimens back in the day when the strip between street and sidewalk was big enough to accommodate the roots of a tree that can grow sixty to eighty feet tall, with a spread equal to at least half the height. The slightly toothed, heart-shaped green leaves provided ample shade and the pendulous clusters of pale yellow or cream flowers perfumed neighborhoods in late June or early July. Bees and other pollinators were drawn to the trees and beekeepers loved them, as linden honey is highly prized—then and now.
Some of those mature linden trees, planted one hundred or more years ago still survive, though their roots have been sorely tried by street widening and sidewalk repairs. More fortunate specimens grow in public parks or adjacent to golf courses, where they can spread to their heart’s content.
Like many well-loved trees, lindens have a host of nicknames. Americans sometimes refer to the trees as “basswood”. In Europe, linden species, including littleleaf linden—Tilia cordata—and European linden—Tilia x euopaea, are known as lime trees. This is not because they are related to the citrus fruits of the same name. “Lime” is probably a corruption of the word “lind”, which shares roots with other words that mean “flexible”. That flexibility has factored in the traditional uses of lime trees for hedging, as well as the creation of living tunnels by careful training of the branches of parallel rows of trees. The technique of interweaving young branches to create these green structures is called “pleaching” and involves training the fast-growing shoots, supervising their growth and trimming off stragglers. A very famous pleached lime walk, created by Vita Sackville-West, still enchants visitors at Sissinghurst in Kent, England.
Linden also figures in art history, as it is well suited to carving and turning. The great seventeenth century English artisan, Grinling Gibbons, created intricately carved screens, mantles and other wooden structures bedecked with garlands of exquisitely rendered flowers, branches, fruit, foliage and wildlife. Linden was his wood of choice, as it is for American contemporary carver and Gibbons expert, David Esterly. Esterly’s book, Grinling Gibbons and the Art of Carving, is a thorough discussion of this fabulous art–perhaps the ultimate expression of the innate beauty of linden wood–by a fellow artisan who has restored some of Gibbons’ work.
The glory of the linden tree is its great size, but for modern gardeners, that is also its great liability. If you want to grow a linden tree in your back or front yard, but don’t have the requisite acreage for a full-size specimen, try the little-known, but lovely Japanese linden or Tilia kiusiana. It maxes out at only thirty-two feet tall and wide and can be grown as a large shrub or small tree. The Japanese species features the same fragrant flowers as other lindens and similar heart-shaped leaves that turn an attractive yellow in the fall. With intelligent pruning, it might even be kept smaller than its maximum height and spread.
Whether you pick the native American linden, or one of its European or Asian relatives, make sure to provide the tree with sunshine, plus rich, loamy soil and uniform moisture levels. The American species is used to flood plains, the sides of streams and other places that retain moisture. Mulch young trees well and water even mature specimens during dry spells.
Good nurseries and garden centers sometimes carry one or two Tilia species or varieties. For a good selection, try ForestFarm, PO Box 1, 14643 Watergap Road, Williams, OR 97544, (541) 846-6963; www.forestfarm.com. Free catalog in the U.S.