The Silver Lime of the Stone Bench

Turn one of this lime's leaves over and the underside is a soft, felted silver, which is where the species gets its name and why the whole crown seems to flicker when wind moves through it. Tilia tomentosa is planted across Dutch parks for exactly that effect: from a distance a silver lime in a breeze looks like it is catching light no other tree nearby is catching. This one stands in the middle of Wilhelminapark's southern section, near a stone bench that has clearly been positioned to sit under it rather than merely beside it. The register dates its planting to the 1860s, making it the oldest of several silver limes recorded in this park and one of the older trees in central Breda still standing where it was planted. It flowers later than most limes, into July, and the scent from a tree this size carries well past the bench. Free, public park, open daily. Come in July for the flowering. The rest of the year it is a fine shade tree; for two or three weeks in high summer it is the most fragrant spot in the park.