PlantFiles: Maidenhair Tree
Ginkgo biloba

I have been growing this tree in my Sterling, MA yard (zone 6) for a few years and have nothing but good things to say about it. Currently it is about 3 feet tall and grows about 6-8 inches per year. It seems to tolerate low rainfall to some degree as we had very little rain this past summer, but it thrives when the soil is kept moist. The only caution I have is in regards to animals sampling the tree. I had another Ginkgo that was about 12 inches tall and each years growth was snipped off by rabbits and chipmunks, so if planting a small seedling, I would advise protecting it with some sort of fencing, etc. until it grows tall enough to be out of reach.

I heard that it can take 20 years until the ginkgo tree produces fruit, so you can tell what sex the tree is. Can anyone confirm this?

I live in Albany, California a smallish on San Francisco Bay bordered by Berkeley, El Cerrito and Richmond. This area has historically been prone to Oak Root fungus and during the 70's the city planted a multitude of MALE Gincko trees on certain residential streets in the affected areas. The tree outside our house was perfect and healthy and we took very good care of it. My negative rating is due to Mother Nature, and her ability to allow our gincko to become fertile, and begin producing the Gincko fruit. That is also fine except for the putrid stench of the fruit would emit upon falling and/or being stepped on. I can describe the smell exactly as a combination of Vomit and Dog Poo. As these trees were along the street and branched over the street and the sidewalk, the city had to remove our tree after receiving a signed petition from neighbors, local business owners and, YES, us. Be very careful. At least we had 15 years of beauty and shade.

I LOVE this tree---reminds me of my childhood, as well as visits to Japan. My neighbor and I each have a ginkgo growing in a pot, and doing nicely after three years or so. Very good, steady growth, but I do wonder how long before it MUST go into the ground.

I learned about ginkos in my science book in 4th grade, and to my delight found 2 beautiful trees growing in front of a church near my house in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This was in the mid 1950's. Every fall ,even after I moved away from that neighbor hood, I somehow managed to visit the trees and their wonderful golden display. Standing under them, I felt so touched by time and connected to it.Then I moved to San Diego, married , and had 4 children I .My oldest son, knowing my passion for this mythical tree, took me down to the old meat packing district in Manhattan when I was visiting a few years ago. They're everywhere, though pruned so as not to branch too far into the street,and so are more columnar .Earlier, I had debated finding one to plant at our house because I was afraid of killing it through neglect- my family consumed so much time. Finally, after all this time, I saw one at a local nursery in a 4" pot, just waiting for me ,it seemed. I planted it, and it's flourishing- in a large plastic pot. It's about 4 years old. I've been debating where to put it in the garden. From the comments, I guess the answer is anywhere. Thanks all.

There is a very large Ginko on the grounds of the Crawford Museum in Devou Park, just outside Covington, KY. I asked a staff member and they believe it's of sufficient age that it may have been sent to the family that owned the property by Thomas Jefferson, since they were know to be in contact with him and he had acquired some ginkos for Monticello.

Ginkgo has long been grown as a sacred tree in China and Japan and is often referred to as a "living fossel" - a single tree can live as long as 1000 years and the trees alive today are almost identical to those in fossil records predating the evolution of mammals!

We use extracts from the leaves of this beautiful tree to make organic skin care. Ginkgo leaves contain flavonoids and terpenoids - all potent antioxidants. For this reason the extracts are used in skin care as a free radical neutralizer (anti-aging treatment).

About 10 years ago, we planted a ginkgo here in SW Louisiana, not knowing a thing about it except that it's pretty. Since then we've had drought, freeze, rain and hurricane. It's been almost totally ignored, with occasional cow manure compost tossed around it. The hummingbirds, bluebirds and warblers like the branches and the woodpeckers have rows and rows of holes poked around the trunk. When we first got it, it was almost burned down by a nearby fire and another tree fell on it. I'd definitely call it a hardy tree that's easy to grow! It's about 12 - 15 feet tall, in spite of us.

I have a neighbor with two massive , very old ginkgo trees. They are gorgeous BUT!!!--they are female ginkgo trees and produce the most terrible fruit!!! The odor is horrible. Please be sure you plant a male tree to avoid the terrible smell of the ginkgo fruit.

These trees have the most beautiful golden foliage in the Autumn. They hold their leaves longer than a lot of trees, so they are easy to spot going down the road.

Most have a nice regular shape with alternating branches that looks well in a landscape. The leaves are small, and do not make much of a mess when dropped.

I live in OH, a friend lives in WV, went there of a weekend, and she sent me home with a 6 foot tall tree, we dug it right before we left, it came home in car, not in any water or anything, planted next day some 16 hours later! It was just fine, a very very hardy tree!!! It has survived my Ohio winters and is just a beautiful specimen tree!.

The Ginkgo tree is one of the toughest plants around. In fact several trees survived the Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in WW 2. All the trees were within about a mile and some were about a half mile from the blast and survived!

Ginkgo is a popular street tree here as it seems to withstand fairly harsh environments, is relatively clean (male specimens - the females produce an abundance of smelly fruit) and provides dependable fall foliage in bright yellow.

I have had three efforts at raising Ginkgo's from seed obtained from Chiltern's Seeds. This year I was successful with 100% germination of 10 large seeds.

Gingkoes can generally be grown throughout the US, but here is some useful information for anyone wanting to plant one in a hot climate (such as Texas). A Gingko tree can scorch badly in full sun, especially if it is a young specimen. You are better off planting this tree in a spot with protection from the late afternoon sun. In fact, it makes a great understory tree and we have found that a Gingko will flourish in as little as four hours of daily sunlight. As the tree matures, its own leaves will protect its somewhat tender bark and allow it to grow well in a full sun location. It is also considered to be extremely slow growing. We have found that with 2-3 applications of moderate-rate nitrogen fertilizer per year, a Ginkgo can grow at a nice pace - comparable to a Redbud or Mexican Plum. Gingkoes are truly a unique tree and well worth the effort.

Internationally famous remnant of the dinosaur age, it forms a large tree in 100 years. A Chinese specimen is thought to be 4000 years old. Sexes are on separate trees(dioecious) and females produce fruit after about 20 years. The smelly fruit contains urushiol and must be separated from the large seed while wearing rubber gloves to avoid the 'poison-ivy' rash.