Tilia platyphyllos or the Large Leaved Linden (or Lime) Tree is an elegantly impressive, long lived, deciduous tree best suited to parks, avenues or very large gardens as it can reach up to 35 metres in height.
It has a narrow dome shape and dark grey, fissured bark with the branches spreading upwards.
It has ovate, mid to dark green leaves with hairy undersides that are arranged alternately.
The flowers are small, pale yellow and quite fragrant that appear in drooping clusters that turn to small brown nuts. The flowers are a big attractor to bees.
It is an interfertile tree e.g. the flowers are hermaphroditic and it can breed with itself - it has therefore been the source of many natural hybrids
This is a commonly cultivated tree often seen in street plantings.
If you have a large enough garden for one then make sure you plant lots of spring bulbs under its canopy, like crocus, snowdrops and daffodils.