Tilia x europaea Wratislaviensis - Common Lime

Tilia x europaea 'Wratislaviensis' is a more than a century-old variety of Common Lime tree native to Poland. This beautiful tree is of medium to large size, but it is more compact and better suited to today's gardens than the larger parent species. Its foliage is particularly decorative with its changing colours throughout the season. The young leaves emerge yellow in spring and gradually turn green. Young shoots continue to form in summer, starting off butter yellow and contrasting nicely with the now green foliage. In autumn, the tree turns yellow with hints of orange before the leaves fall to the ground. In June, this Lime tree produces the same fragrant white flowers as the botanical species, delighting bees.

The Lime tree is a representative member of the Tiliaceae family, and by far the most well-known, although this botanical family comprises around fifty genera and approximately 450 species! Tilia x europaea, European Lime or Common Lime, is a hybrid between T. cordata, a species with small leaves and T. platyphyllos, or Big-leafed Lime. The European Lime, a hybrid created hundreds of years ago and named by the famous botanist Linnaeus in 1751, is, like its parents, a tall tree capable of reaching heights of 30m or more.
Wratislaviensis is probably a mutation of the 'Pallida' variety and was discovered in 1898 in Wroclaw, the third-largest city in the country, located in western Poland. Its growth is smaller than that of the botanical species, as 10 years after planting, it will reach approximately 6m in height and 4m in width, while its mature size will peak at 15m in height and 10m in width. It naturally takes on a pyramidal to conical shape, very regular and balanced, which closely resembles the shape of its leaves. These leaves are heart-shaped, with an acuminate (pointed) tip and a slightly asymmetrical cordate (heart-shaped) base (the lower part of the leaf forms two rounded lobes on either side of the petiole). The fairly large leaves measure from 7 to 10cm in length and 6 to 9cm in width, and their edges are finely toothed. They are especially remarkable for their colour, which changes throughout the season. In spring, yellow leaves emerge, giving the tree a very bright appearance, before turning green in summer. On this green foliage, new shoots appear in a butter-yellow colour, forming a halo around the Lime tree's crown. This visual effect is more pronounced in young, rapidly growing specimens, as mature trees produce fewer summer shoots. Finally, in autumn, the foliage turns yellow with hints of orange to end the season on a beautiful note before the leaves fall.
Like its counterparts, this Lime tree is also appreciated for its flowering. In June, it produces pendulous corymbs composed of 3 to 11 cream-white, fragrant flowers, which attract bees.

This beautiful tree, with its regular and attractive architecture, is appealing due to the brightness of its foliage, which can tolerate full sun. It is well-suited to medium to large gardens, being ornamental enough to justify being planted as a specimen tree on a lawn, and can also be the centrepiece of a mixed bed. Play with colour and form contrasts by planting Sambucus nigra Black Lace Eva at its base, an Elderberry with finely cut, almost black foliage that contrasts nicely with the Lime tree's yellow and produces beautiful pink flowers in May-June, which stand out against the dark foliage. A Cercis canadensis Eternal Flame will also create a surprise with its changing foliage, dark red in spring when the Lime tree is yellow, then turning orange and yellow to blend in with the Lime tree, before greening like it in summer and colouring again in autumn. Its pinkish-purple flowers, appearing directly on the wood before the leaves, are also a spectacle on their own, at the beginning of each season. And in the foreground, plant a Winged Spindle (Euonymus alatus) whose foliage will turn bright red in autumn, completing your colourful scene.