Can heavily pruned fifteen-year-old lime trees recover and grow leaves again?

[Limetreewoes]

My fifteen year old lime trees have been pruned back hard in my absence. Is there any hope for them please? I can’t see how they will photosynthesise as there are no small branches for leaves to grow on. Thank you.

Photo uploading.

The lime tree across my house was cut back like that. It looked a bit sparse the first few months, then grew lots of tendril-like branches. It'll be fine.

Also it looks like these buds are developing leaves.

Historically limes were coppiced so they'll be fine. But I would tidy up those branches in the winter.

They'll be fine - but that doesn't look like a very sensitive pruning job.

That is halfway between pruning and pollarding and really badly done. But yes it will grow back.

Yes
mine was taken down to a stump and poisoned due to disease/safety in 2020. Throws out a pile of new growth every year which I have to cut back.

Absolutely.
These are mine in 2021, before and after, and then the bottom shot is them last autumn before they were pruned again.

It is called high pollarding, and they will be fine. Decidous trees store sugars in the trunk & roots during the winter, and when the sap rises in spring, the energy will generate new buds to grow.

Just checked back at the thread, thank you all so much for your replies and reassurance. I am a very careful pruner and have a live and let live attitude to plants, (which is why everything got so overgrown), it's really encouraging to hear your positive views. Thanks again.

@Seeline, they aren't dissimilar to your trees after pruning.

They'll be fine - give them 3-4 years and they'll be back to where they were.

I wish I had done that my lime tree when it was 15. It’s now so massive I fear for our house and my garden is in complete shade.

Ours is a giant but just had it thoroughly pruned by an expert as has a TPO. Makes a huge difference to shade. We had it done 10 years ago also. Very expensive but worth it.

This it should recover but it will take a few years

Local one have been pollarded and indeed they have all grown back and are larger than when they were pollarded. Unfortunately, it has changed the shape and structure of the trees and I’m not sure pollarding is appropriate for limes.

It will be fine - they can take a very hard pruning.