The stately tree it comes from (Ginkgo biloba) has been prized in landscapes for its beauty for centuries. It grows up to 75 ft. tall and can live for several hundred years. Ginkgo, also called maidenhair tree, is easy to recognize by its unique fan-shaped leaves, which turn a brilliant golden yellow in autumn. They remain on the tree until late in the season and then cascade to the ground, sometimes all in one day. This extraordinary tree can adapt to just about any climate. (It survived the last ice age, after all.) It suffers no pest or disease problems, and it tolerates a wide range of soil pH, and air pollution and salt. Ginkgo takes extreme heat and cold (to about -30 degrees F), and thrives in both the North and South, from coast to coast.
Ginkgo does need full sun and plenty of room to grow. Be sure to plant a male tree; the female fruits are messy and smelly. Male trees to look for at the nursery include 'Autumn Gold' and 'Princeton Sentry'.
The fruits are not only messy but smell terrible...however, they are considered a delicacy in some Asian countries. I have smelled the fruits and cannot believe that people eat them but I have seen people collecting them from the ground at a nearby tree....HOLY STINK BATMAN! Make 100% sure that you are getting a male tree!
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| The leaves are amazing on this tree and when they begin to turn colors in the fall they literally look like millions of fluttering butterflies! |
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