I thought it was a conifer at first glance. I'd like to see its winter silhouette

Very nice. I'd still offer them kudos in the event they might be mulling over limbing it up.

tj

You often see beech like this. The Tilia is lovely.

I’ll 5th the motion. I think Tilia, Fagus and Aesculus should be left this way.

Apparently I can't add photos on my phone. Line of Tilia offers some nice screening

Apart from the biologically driven Savannah Mentality people so often limb up trees in grass merely because they want to clean up underneath them. It weighing on their minds that there is uncollected tree litter (and maybe other litter, like fast food outlet cups), uncut grass and weeds back under there.

Even though they mostly can't see it. And the tree is better off with mulch beneath it than with bare soil or grass. Also when young or otherwise broader-growing at the bottom than at the top looks better branching to the ground.

I have not limbed up my Oak. Do they need to be limbed up? It is 8 yrs old, about 12' tall, grown from an acorn.

hoovb, start your own thread and include pictures. I'll look for it!

maackia, that is a beautiful sight! Thanks for sharing with us.

The Lindens are in full flower right now. It’s a good thing...and another reason to let them grow to the ground. Easier access to fragrance.

Sugar maples can do that, but are rarely allowed to on lawns.

Beng- Down the road from me is a huge sugar maple, that while not completely to the ground, it’s only limbed up a few feet, so it has a very short trunk and a very dense canopy, and it’s just gorgeous. Also very reliable in the fall.

Is there something unique about Tilia that allows it to maintain this low branching more so than other trees? I attended a wedding just outside Ballina, Ireland, a few years ago and there was a massive old Linden fully branched to the ground. I couldn't help myself and had to crawl inside to get a look. Embo is right, there was a lot of "stuff" under the tree hidden from the public. No garbage to speak of, but a lot of plant material -- dead and alive.

Other than saws the main source of clear trunks is shading by other trees, in a forest, grove, woodland or other setting where these are present nearby. Except for certain kinds like gums (Eucalyptus), that are pretty consistent about producing elevated crowns even when in full exposure.

I can understand why this look would appeal to some people. It does offer added summertime privacy. But all I see is a mosquito paradise.

Most landscapers are starting with larger nursery stock that has no foliage down low. I wonder if that Tilia started as a whip or even a weed that was neglected for long enough. All the bareroot whips I plant are caged or fenced and allowed to grow all bushy.