Kaiser Linden / Lime Trees

• Variety: Kaiser Linden, a broadly conical form of the Common Lime
• Latin name: Tilia x europaea 'Pallida'
• Sold as: Bareroot standards, 6/8 and 8/10cm girth
• Mature size: 30m or more if left alone. Far smaller as a pollard
• Time to full size: 20 to 50 years
• Flowers: Fragrant, pale yellow, in clusters in midsummer
• Autumn colour: Golden yellow
• Position: Full sun or partial shade, with shelter from cold winds
• Soil: Any moist but well-drained soil
• Pruning: Takes pleaching and pollarding
• Hardiness: H6, hardy through the British winter
• Delivered: Bareroot, November to April. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Kaiser Linden is the Lime of Berlin's Unter den Linden: a big, broadly conical avenue tree with fragrant pale yellow flowers in midsummer and golden autumn leaves. It is on the RHS Plants for Pollinators list, and it takes pollarding and pleaching well, which is how a forest tree is kept to garden size.

Kaiser Linden / Lime Trees

Tilia x europaea Pallida, the Kaiser or King's Linden tree, is a cultivar of the Common Lime that spreads and suckers less. It has a yellow lustre to the newer leaves and a tidier, pyramidal habit.
It bears small, scented, creamy flowers in early summer which have a specially formed leaf hanging down next to them that spins round like a struggling helicopter when the mature seeds fall, carrying them a bit farther from their parent tree.
Lindens can reach a height of about 30-35 metres, and are one of the best trees for pollarding, which makes them suitable for smaller gardens and for screening.
Browse our variety of lime trees or our full range of trees.

Delivery season: Lime trees are delivered bareroot from late autumn to early spring, November to April.
Choosing a size: Small trees are cheaper, easier to handle and more forgiving of less than ideal aftercare, so they're best for a big planting project. If instant impact is your priority, or if you are only buying a few plants for use in a place where it's convenient to water them well in their first year, then you may as well use bigger ones. Our standard trees are measured by the girth of the trunk in centimetres, one metre above the ground, not by their height.

Growing Kaiser Lindens

This tree is adored by street planners worldwide for its upright growth, immunity to air pollution and tolerance of harsh pruning, even by less-than-masterful workers. It won't grow on the coast, in waterlogged or very dry soil, but apart from that it's not fussy.

History & Trivia

There is a street in Berlin dedicated to it called Unter den Linden, "Under the Linden Trees". The original was destroyed in WW2, and replanted in 1950.

Tilia x europaea is the hybrid of Tilia cordata and Tilia platyphyllos, which we deliver as saplings.

Standard trees are measured by their girth in centimetres 1 metre above ground level: their trunk's waist measurement. Unlike sapling trees and hedge plants, standards aren't measured by their height, which will vary quite a bit both between and within species.
So, a 6/8cm standard tree has a trunk with a circumference of 6-8cm and an 8/10 standard has a trunk 8-10cm around. This measurement makes no difference to the tree's final height.
On average, standard trees are 2-3.5 metres tall when they arrive, but we cannot tell you precisely how tall your trees will be before we deliver them.

Planting Companions

For an avenue, Kaiser Linden sits between two other Limes: Greenspire is narrower, and the Red-Twigged Lime has red winter shoots and pollards just as well. Beech is the other classic avenue tree, and the rest of our large garden and parkland trees are worth a look if you have the room. Dust bareroot roots with Rootgrow as you plant.

Why Ashridge for Garden Trees?

Ashridge has sold trees since 1949 and is a Which? Best Plant Supplier 2025. Your Kaiser Linden comes as a bareroot tree, lifted to order while dormant and guaranteed for 12 months. Plant it between November and April, and it will establish readily.

Frequently Asked Questions

How big does a Kaiser Linden grow?

Very big. Left alone it will reach 30 metres or more. Pollarded, it suits a much smaller garden: it is one of the best trees there is for it.

Can you pollard or pleach it?

Yes, it takes both well. A pollard is cut back to the same heads every one to three years, and stays that size for as long as you keep cutting.

Is a Lime tree anything to do with the citrus fruit?

No. The name comes from the Old English lind, and Linden is the same word.

Is it good for bees?

Yes. Kaiser Linden is on the RHS Plants for Pollinators list, and the scented flowers open in midsummer.

What soil does it need?

Any moist but well-drained soil, in full sun or partial shade. It likes some shelter from cold winds.

When are the trees delivered?

Bareroot only, from November to April, while the trees are dormant. You can order at any time of year and your tree is lifted and sent once the season opens.