Both are approved in Joliet
The City's species list puts honeylocust, American linden and littleleaf linden in its "large trees" column, all marked for planting at any time of year (City of Joliet approved tree list). Ash of every kind is on the "not approved" side, which the City has done since 2005 (Joliet Forestry).
Telling them apart
Honeylocust
- Compound leaves made of many small oval leaflets; yellow in fall (Morton Arboretum).
- Long twisted reddish-brown pods, 8 inches or more.
- Wild trees have big thorns, so nurseries mostly sell the thornless form.
- Light, airy shade; 30 to 70 feet tall and wide.
Littleleaf linden
- Heart-shaped leaves, 1½ to 3 inches, with an uneven base; clear yellow in fall (Morton Arboretum).
- Fragrant pale yellow flowers hanging in early summer, each cluster with a long strap-like bract.
- Dense, oval to pyramidal crown; 60 to 70 feet tall, 30 to 40 wide.
- Native to Europe. Our native cousin is American basswood (Morton Arboretum).
Honeylocust care
- Prune in fall or winter, per the Arboretum (Morton Arboretum).
- Tough in the parkway: it tolerates road salt, alkaline and clay soil, and dry or wet sites, though the Arboretum rates it sensitive to drought, so water young trees in dry spells (same page).
- Watch for honey-locust plant bug, spider mites, leaf spots and canker diseases (same page).
- Diversity: the Arboretum says that for species diversity it should only be planted after careful thought about alternatives, because it's so common (same page). That's the ash lesson again.
Linden care
- Mulch the roots. The Arboretum says littleleaf linden benefits from a mulch layer to keep roots cool (Morton Arboretum). Joliet's own tip: 3 to 4 inches, raked flat like a doughnut, never piled against the trunk (Joliet Forestry).
- Expect aphids and Japanese beetles; both are common on linden. It does tolerate pollution well (Morton Arboretum).
- Bees love it. The fragrant early-summer flowers are a pollinator favorite (Morton Arboretum). Worth remembering before scheduling a crew to work in the crown in bloom.
Who prunes a parkway tree
If the honeylocust or linden is between the sidewalk and the curb, it's City property. Only a certified arborist, or workers supervised by one, may prune or remove a parkway tree (Joliet Forestry). New City-planted trees need water at least five minutes every other day, and the City won't replace one that dies from lack of watering (same page). For a tree on your own lot, see tree trimming in Joliet; parkway details are in our parkway tree rules guide.
Weighing a silver maple instead? Read silver maple in Joliet yards first.
Sources
Checked Nov. 4, 2026. If a City rule has changed since, the City’s page wins.