Tilia cordata Rancho - Lime

The Tilia cordata Rancho is a selection of small-leaved lime notable for its narrow, conical habit, well-suited to avenues and urban gardens. Its fragrant summer flowering attracts pollinators and delights passers-by. Its heart-shaped foliage turns warm yellow hues in autumn. Very hardy and reliable, this tree requires little maintenance in deep, well-drained soil, in sun or partial shade.

Belonging to the Malvaceae family, Tilia cordata is a botanical species native to a large part of Europe extending to the Caucasus and Western Asia, commonly found in cool forests. The Rancho cultivar was selected in the United States by E. H. Scanlon (Olmsted Falls, Ohio) and introduced in 1961; it was subsequently distributed in Europe.
The habit of Rancho is narrow, conical to ovoid, densely ramified, with a well-defined central axis. Its growth is slow to moderate; it reaches approximately 6 m in height in 10 years when planted in the ground, 10 to 15 m tall and 4 to 8 m wide at maturity depending on the soil and climate. The trunk of this lime becomes grey-brown and channelled with age, the young twigs are brown-red, glossy, with lenticels; the buds, very shiny, measure 6 to 7 mm. The root system first develops a taproot for 7–8 years, then a rather spreading and shallow, highly ramified network; in urban settings, occasional lifting may occur near hard surfaces.
The leaves, deciduous, small in this cultivar (often 3 to 8 cm), are cordate, with finely dentate margins, dark green and glossy on top, paler underneath, with small tufts of hair in the angles of the veins; the foliage turns a bright yellow in autumn before falling. The inflorescences, pendulous, bear numerous small creamy yellow flowers with a greenish bract, very fragrant, in June-July; they are melliferous, visited by bees and butterflies.
In the garden, this lime prefers deep, fertile, cool to moderately dry soils, it tolerates clay and limestone, as well as full sun or partial shade. It is very hardy (zone 4, around −30 °C).

Use the Tilia cordata Rancho to line a large driveway, mark the garden entrance or add verticality to a large border. In a large town garden, pair it with understated, lime-tolerant bushes: Carpinus betulus ‘Frans Fontaine’ for verticality, Cornus alba ‘Elegantissima’ for its variegated foliage and red wood, Viburnum opulus ‘Roseum’ for its summer volume, Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’ in slightly cooler spots. At their base, choose groundcovers less affected by the presence of roots: Geranium macrorrhizum, Epimedium or Lamium.