Thanks Jamie, yes its a big help...I had to laugh when you posted the photos which are very good BTW, I had thought we were talking about Citrus!!!
Ok, linden trees, Tilia europaea although I think yours are a hybrid of some kind, lovely trees and generally very resiliant, they should thrive in the soils you have in the Southeast.
First of all the yellowing is not indicative of insufficient elements in the soil, had the yellowing been interveinal then the recommendation would have been to take soil samples and get the soil tested....since it is the veins in the leaves that are yellowing first I would have to suspect that it is a problem relating to root conditions.
Tilia will grow quite happily in wet soils so long as they are free draining, it could be that the conditions under the pond liner or near it are a problem. If you can dig a small hole near (Obviously not in!) the edge of the lineer where you would suspect the roots of the tree are growing and investigate the nature of the soil there....thick plastic liners create a hostile environment to root growth almost no gaseous exchange possible and the build up of anaerobic bacteria and their byproducts. However since the tree is not surrounded by the bog gardebn and the liner it is surprising that it is so strongly affected, unless the boggy conditions do extend right around the root plate esp after the recent heavy rains....make sure the tree has not been planted too deep, or buried after planting through grade changes.
The tree doesn't look like it is failing as yet but I agree the premature loss of its leaves in this way needs to be addressed...if it is the boggy conditions then you'll have to decide if this part of the garden can be better drained without destroying what you clearly want ie a bog garden, or whether it is possible/desireable to move the tree out of the permenantly wet area to one that is better drained.
But first things first carefully dig down and look at the soil profile is there water in the hole you dug? is it clearly wet? does it smell like a bog?
__________________ Sean  Trees are poems that earth writes upon the sky,
We fell them down and turn them into paper,
That we may record our emptiness.
- Kahlil Gibran
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