MSU Extension Gardening in Michigan

Tilia cordata

• Height: 50’ - 70’
• Spread: 35’ - 50’
• Site characteristics: Full sun; moist, well-drained soils; tolerant of alkaline soils; tolerates urban conditions.
• Zone: 4 - 7
• Native range: Europe
• pH: 5.0 - 8.5
• Shape: Dense, low-branched, pyramidal to ovate
• Foliage: Dark, shiny green in summer; yellow-green to yellow in fall
• Other: Fragrant, pale yellow flowers in spring
• Additional: Chancellor (‘Chancole’) – fast growing, narrow in youth and becoming tightly pyramidal with age; 20-30’ wide, symmetrical, upward branching with good branch angles and straight trunk; dense, gold-yellow fall color. Corinthian (‘Corzam’) – narrowly pyramidal, compact, 15-25’ wide, straight central leader, uniform limb spacing, straight trunk, foliage smaller, thicker, glossier, and reportedly more blue-green. ‘Glenleven’ – reportedly very cold hardy, fast growing, pyramidal to narrow-oval, straight trunk, symmetrical branching, larger leaves, less dense than some other cultivars. Greenspire – Zone 4, pyramidal to broad-oval, strong central leader, symmetrical branching habit. Shamrock (‘Baileyi’) – Zone 4, broadly pyramidal, more vigorous and more open habit than Greenspire, symmetrical branching at an early age.
• Pests: Japanese beetles are the principle pest

  
Photos: Bert Cregg, MSU (left), and Jesse Saylor, MSU (middle and right).

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