# Linden Tree Garden and Tree Care
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Planting
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The dark green foliage of the linden provides welcome shade in hot climates. The linden is an easy tree to plant since it likes full sun but tolerates shade; it prefers well-drained loamy soil but also grows in clay. It grows beautifully in a pyramidal shape when young and rounds out more as it ages. But be careful to give it lots of room since its roots ultimately spread about 2 1/2 times the height of the tree. The North Dakota Tree Information Centre, for example, has identified an American linden that grew 75 feet tall with a canopy spread of 64 feet.
Add Variety
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The rich green leaves of the linden form a welcome shade canopy. The American linden (Tilia Americana) is the most popular of the species, and its creamy white flowers are staples of many landscaping plans. The Littleleaf linden (Tilia cordata) has smaller leaves, while the Bigleaf linden (Tilia platyphyllos) has larger ones. For a formal garden, consider the Greenspire linden because of its very straight trunk. For a tree to add winter interest to your garden, plant a Redmond linden; its branches go red as winter arrives. All lindens grow slowly, with several years before blooming.
Pruning
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Prune after the linden tree blooms. While the linden is a hardy grower by nature, and mature trees are even dug up and moved around successfully, avoid pruning them until they've bloomed. When pruning a young linden, maintain the main upright stem (the central leader). Restrict pruning to competing branches to the central leader.
Watering
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Remember to avoid the wide root spread of the linden when applying herbicides. If the leaves of the linden become limp, it's receiving either too much or too little water. If the tree's health is failing, ensure it hasn't been exposed to commonly used herbicides around its root system. Even an application of a weed-destroying herbicide often kills the linden.
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