My Linden Tree

Lovely. We call them lime trees here (no relation to the fruiting limes!) Did you know the French make a tea from the flowers?

How wonderful for you Bathgate more wildlife for you its a beautiful tree especially in the last photo how it will look evengually gorgeous colour. Great photos as well I am sure if Hollywood seen your photos they will be employing you as a camera man or director lol .

I didn't know that Stera, thanks. I also just discovered the leaves are edible & this will be great for the bee population.

Thanks Thrup. Hollywood? Maybe that's my calling.

How lovely. Now, the only downside of the Lime/Linden tree is the sticky sap that they drop all over the place in spring. So never park your car under one! Other than that they are beautiful. I'm not sure if the sap comes from the leaves for from aphid infestations, but one year we left our car under one on the street while visiting friends overnight and it was a terrible sticky mess the next morning. :)

How lovely for you, Paul. And it's great to see the street with its grass verges . . . just like the 'Garden City' where I live, where many of the roads have grass verges planted with trees.

How super. Are the City trying to green the place or is it to thank you for services rendered?

I hope it is Bathgate you would be able to afford a butterfly farm then . ?

Hi Bathgate , what beautiful trees these are . The blossom smell wonderful in the Spring , what a gift ! The tea can be bought in specialist shops , I buy mine when we go to France . A real treat .

Just remembered Bathgate - look out for the Lime hawk moth later. Found one under our limes the last house we had I had to ask the local Wildlife Trust what it was!

How wonderful, lucky you!!

Thanks for the 'heads up' Karen. I hope the pros outweigh the cons with this tree. I heard it has a wonderful scent in the spring and the bees will feast on the white flowers. I won't be parking my car there. I hope nobody will. lol

Sheila - I was fine with just having grass - the tree adds a nice touch.

Siris - It's the city effort to 'green up' the place. I was OK with just the grass though, but now I've adopted this tree. I've been given the task of keeping it green & healthy.

Thrup - a butterfly farm - a dream come true!

Dryad- Tea? I didn't know I can make tea. How do you make your tea? I'm eager to try it. Thanks for the tip.

Lime Hawk moth Stera? I need to research it so I know what to look for. Intriguing name though. Thanks for the tip.

Thanks Julia!

Hi Bathgate , I'm not sure how the tea is made , it comes in a tea bag . It might be the dried blossom - not sure - but it is good .

I've made it with dried blossom and of course you can also use fresh. (we had half a dozen limes along the edge of our last garden) Just put some in a jug - a cafetiere is good because you can use the plunger to separate it from the tea -and leave it to brew for a few minutes.
I do this with elderflowers too - one flower head makes enough tea for 2. Lime's not as nice as elderflower though. The southern French use it as a digestif if I remember right.

I thought I read my tree needs to be a certain age before it blooms. I hope I get some flowers in the spring. Can I make tea with the leaves?

I'm sure there's a song about a Linden tree. Nice that they are planting more trees. They look very big though. I don't think I'd want a big tree like that outside my house.

"Don't sit under the Linden tree with anybody else but me..." is that how it goes?

I would prefer not having a tree either, but the empty grass lots in front seem to be begging for a tree. Now that it's here, I'm starting to like it. I like the heart shaped leaves. Somebody said I can make tea from the flowers.

Bathgate see above - I wrote you a description of how to do it....I have never heard of making tea with the leaves though, just the flowers.

The song I heard was apple tree but linden fits just as well

Thanks Stera. Do you think this tree is big enough to grow flowers? Its got to be 15 feet tall.

nice tree ....

Gg

Apple tree is what I've heard too, but there's another song about a Linden Tree. I'll have to look it up.

Apple tree ... Glenn Miller.

Oh yes of course, Glenn Miller...The Andrew Sisters also sang their version I found out.

Thanks Gg - Something new for me.

Hi Paul, What a lovely tree, and good for the environment too. Perfume, shade and a haven for the wildlife....great!....

That's great to know Linda. I look forward to seeing it in bloom.

Thank you. I adopted it (I had no choice really) I think it will be very happy there. We've had plenty of rain & snow so that helps. I hope to see some blossoms this spring - it's also very fragrant - so I heard.

Within the woodlands, flow'ry gladed,
By the oak tree's mossy moot,
The shining grass-blades, timber-shaded,
Now do quiver underfoot;
And birds do whistle overhead,
And water's bubbling in its bed,
And there for me the apple tree
Do lean down low in Linden Lea.

When leaves that lately were a-springing
Now do fade within the copse,
And painted birds do hush their singing
Up upon the timber-tops;
And brown-leaved fruit's a-turning red,
In cloudless sunshine, overhead,
With fruit for me, the apple tree
Do lean down low in Linden Lea.

Let other folk make money faster
In the air of dark-roomed towns,
I don't dread a peevish master;
Though no man may heed my frowns,
I be free to go abroad,
Or take again my homeward road
To where, for me, the apple tree
Do lean down low in Linden Lea.

Words by William Barnes, set to music by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Absolutely beautiful!

https://youtu.be/OP8GgxOuYhE

Very nice Karen. Inspiring...thank you