The Lime trees on the avenue by our house are in full flower at the moment, the smell is gorgeous and the canopy is buzzing with bees. Limes are a bit of a forgotten tree and maligned because of the honey dew on cars but for summer blossom there is none finer. It is mainly the common lime that produces the honeydew and the epicormic shoots at the base.
Rather a shame that it isn't being planted (as far as I'm aware) in all the many new woodland schemes. I planted 6 small-leaved limes about 18 years ago and they are doing fine, one of them flowered for the first time this year.
They are long lived trees, relaxed about pruning and pollarding and some in the lake district could be over 2,000 years old.
I love lime trees Philp, they look fantastic when planted in avenues, like the double rows at Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire where they seem to go on for miles!(and many other estates).
ReplyDeleteThey do make fine specimems when planted on there own and even then they have the habit of 'reaching for the sky'