How-to Guide
How to Grow Linden (Basswood)
The short answer
American linden (basswood, Tilia americana) is a large, wide-spreading native shade tree that grows at a moderate pace to 60 to 80 feet with a straight trunk. It transplants easily, tolerates clay, and adapts to dry, rocky soils, so siting is forgiving.
Its early-summer flowers are a magnet for bees, which make a prized honey from the nectar; the tree is nicknamed the 'bee tree' because it fills with bees while in bloom. If you want a pollinator-supporting shade tree, this is a strong native choice.
The main drawback to accept up front is Japanese beetles. Lindens are among their most-favored hosts, and heavy populations can skeletonize and defoliate large parts of the canopy within days to a few weeks. Established trees survive it, but the summer damage can be dramatic.
Siting and size: a big, forgiving shade tree
American basswood is a wide-spreading, round-topped tree that grows at a moderate rate to 60 or 80 feet, with a straight trunk two to three feet in diameter, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. That is a large tree for a large space, so give it room away from the house and overhead lines and plan for the dense shade it will eventually cast.
On siting, it is accommodating. ODNR notes basswood is easy to transplant, tolerant of clay soil, and adaptable to dry, rocky soils, so most home landscapes can host it. As with any tree, plant it at the right depth and water it in well through the first seasons; for the mechanics of getting a new tree established, see the separate planting guide.
The bee-tree payoff
The linden's best-known feature is its value to pollinators. ODNR describes basswood as a favorite tree of bees, which extract nectar from its flowers and make a very high-quality honey in the process; when the tree is in flower it will be full of bees, which is exactly why it carries the common name 'bee tree.' During the roughly three weeks that lindens bloom, bees largely forsake other flowers for them.
For a gardener weighing shade trees, that is a genuine ecological argument in the linden's favor. The fragrant summer bloom is a bonus for people too, and the tree supports a burst of pollinator activity at a point in the season when it is useful.
The honest catch: Japanese beetles
Lindens are a preferred host of Japanese beetles, and this is the tradeoff to go in knowing. Penn State Extension notes that the most troublesome pest of the American linden is often the Japanese beetle, which can skeletonize large sectors of the leaf canopy in a few days. The beetles chew the leaf tissue between the veins, leaving a lacy, brown skeleton across affected branches.
Established lindens tolerate this defoliation and leaf out normally the following year, so the damage is mostly cosmetic on a mature tree, but it can be severe and repeated. If you are deciding whether to plant a linden, factor in that midsummer beetle damage is likely. For identification and the least-toxic ways to manage the beetles, see the dedicated Japanese beetles guide rather than reaching for a cover spray that also harms the very bees this tree feeds.
Sources
Reviewed 2026-07-18. We cite university Extension, government, and established horticultural sources — and never invent pesticide rates or dangerous treatments.
- Ohio Department of Natural Resources - American Basswood (Tilia americana) — American basswood is a wide-spreading, round-topped tree that grows at a moderate pace to 60 or 80 feet with a straight trunk 2 to 3 feet in diameter; it is easy to transplant, tolerant of clay soil, and adaptable to dry, rocky soils; bees extract nectar from its flowers to make high-quality honey, and it is full of bees in bloom, hence the name bee tree.
- Penn State Extension - A Native Tree for You to Love: The American Linden — The most troublesome pest of American linden is often the Japanese beetle, which can skeletonize large sectors of the leaf canopy of lindens in a few days.