Tilia cordata Winter Orange - Small-leaved Lime

Tilia cordata 'Winter Orange' is a moderate-sized small-leaved Lime tree that stands out for its orange branches, which are particularly visible in winter. Other advantages of this deciduous tree include beautiful butter-yellow foliage in autumn, interesting cracked bark, and fragrant, nectar-producing flowers in early summer. This lime tree is also hardy and not very demanding in terms of soil.

Tilia cordata belongs to the Tiliaceae family and is native to European forests. It is a large deciduous species with a wide crown, capable of reaching heights of over 30 metres. It can be found in hill and mountain zones, growing up to 1500 metres above sea level, usually on moist, deep, fertile, and neutral to calcareous soil. It has an excellent longevity.

The 'Winter Orange' cultivar was discovered in 1977 in a forest and introduced to the market in 1988 by J. Lombarts in Zundert, the Netherlands. It has a rather slow growth rate and reaches a maximum height of 11 metres with a spread of 6 metres. Its crown is ovoid, branched, and dense. The trunk is often quite short. The bark, when mature, is dark brown and channelled, while the smooth young branches are orange. Its entire, alternate leaves are 7 to 12 cm long, rounded, heart-shaped at the base, and finely toothed at the edges. The upper surface of the leaf is matte green, while the lower surface is glaucous green with reddish-brown hairs. The leaves turn butter-yellow in autumn and fall quite early in the season. Flowering occurs in early summer, in June. Numerous small white-yellowish flowers are grouped in pendulous corymbs of 15 to 20 attached to the branches by long petioles. They are remarkably fragrant and a delight for bees. They are followed by small, slightly fuzzy, grey round fruits attached to a wing called a samara.

The 'Winter Orange' Lime tree can be planted as a standalone specimen and is an easy tree to cultivate in many regions, with a manageable size. It can be enhanced when surrounded by evergreen shrubs like Taxus media 'Densiformis' or other dwarf conifers. For a more rustic look, it can be paired with Persian Ironwood or Katsura tree, which offer interesting autumn colours. Plant it alongside maples (Acer campestre 'Carnival', A. griseum...), Pseudocydonia sinensis, and Winged Spindle tree (Euonymus alatus) to create a vibrant woodland area from September to November. Its flowers are an important source of nectar, which is valuable for beekeepers.