broad-leaved lime
Tilia platyphyllos
RHS Plants for Pollinators
USDA zones3 to 7
SunHandles full sun to partial sun
WaterHandles moderate to moist soil
Size60 to 80 feet tall30 to 50 feet wide
- Habit
- Dense
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- Pale yellow
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay, chalk
- Soil pH
- Alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Broad-leaved lime (Tilia platyphyllos) is a tree for pollinator gardens, specimen planting, and low maintenance landscapes. It is hardy to USDA zone 3, or down to -40°F (-40°C). This plant likes full or part sun and average to moist soil of most types. Its pale yellow flowers are fragrant and attract bees and butterflies. The dense, green canopy reaches 60 to 80 feet tall, and the tree tolerates drought and salt.
Pairs well with Bluebell, Ramsons, Grape hyacinth, and Hardy blue-flowered leadwort.
Native range
Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, Corse, and 3 more places. See all 7
Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, Corse, NW. Balkan Pen., Sicilia, and Türkiye.