Lime tree question

We ave just moved into our lovely new house and have three huge trees just behind the hedge of our back garden. They have just come into leaf, and are undoubtedly beautiful, the birds love them and it does feel when we look out the window that we are in a nature reserve! BUT, the neighbours think they are a total pest, they say they leak this black sticky stuff (which after research I have fund out is honeydew - aphid poop!) which bees and wasps love and which covers the garden in summer.

We don't park our cars under the trees, so I am not worried on that front, but we have just seeded our lawn. There doesn't seem to be a problem with things grwing, two massive rubarbs have sprung up and are doing very well, in part of the veg plot the previous lady left.

Can anyone give me an honest idea of whether these trees are likely to be a problem for us, and our three small children (wasp stings etc) or are we likely to feel the benefits more than the draw backs.

ANY HELP given would be much appreciated.

 

Hi jim and vicki,

Lime trees can be big, beautiful trees if given the time and chance to grow and I'm glad that you seem pretty keen with them. I can't see that the trees will be any problem to you than any other tree species as long as you keep an eye on them. Lime's respond very badly to pruning and will shoot out tons of regrowth if heavily pruned. This regrowth forms dense clumps which can look unsightly as well as form potential hazards in the future.

As for wasps and bee stings - If you leave them well alone then they'll leave you alone. Fair's fair.

Enjoy your trees - the benefits will far outweigh any negatives!! :gnthb:

P.s. Any chance of a few pics of them? :wink:

 

Its a bit hard to visualise without pictures / a plan.

In my opinion they are a "parks" tree, and if they overhang a relatively small garden (e.g. a garden behind a terrace house), and they are mature specimens, I would think they could easily be a menace. The honeydew is a nuisance for anything underneath them (depending on the variety, but sounds like your variety will do this). The buzz of the bees is lovely to hear, but may be worrying to some!

We had a large specimen Lime that was blown down in the '87(??) gales, and we cut the top off and stood it back up, effectively it was heavily pollarded, and we then thinned the masses of shoots that emerged, and its grown back to be a hansom tree again.

I think any large tree in a small garden is a problem, and probably better pollarded, but apart from my own experience I don't know how well Limes respond to it.