Ginkgo: cultivation, care & uses

Ginkgo biloba is one of the oldest tree species on the planet and is what is known as a “living fossil”. Find out all about the ginkgo’s origins and how to cultivate it yourself.

Ginkgo trees occupy a very special position among plants as they belong neither to the conifers nor to the deciduous trees. Here is our guide to this prehistoric plant with tips on planting, care and use of the ginkgo tree.

Ginkgo: history, origin and characteristics

As early as 250 million years ago, ginkgo trees (Ginkgo biloba) evolved within the primeval forests of the Permian period. It was another 100 million years before the first deciduous trees emerged. Unlike many tree species that are extinct today, ginkgos survived the era of the dinosaurs, the evolution of the first birds and were still widespread in Central Europe about 30 million years ago. The Ice Age finally forced the primeval tree to grow and thrive in the warmer regions of China. It was there that botanists and plant lovers discovered the ginkgo tree, allowing it once again to spread worldwide. It is the only living member of the ginkgo family (Ginkgoaceae). While there may not be a large selection of species, there are some different ornamental forms and varieties.

As medium-sized trees, ginkgos can grow up to 15 – 30 m tall and 10 – 15 m (sometimes more) wide. They grow somewhere in the region of 35 – 40 cm in height per year. The bark is grey-brown and deeply grooved, the wood is light yellow. The striking leaves and seed heads gingko trees produce have given rise to several other names, for example, maidenhair tree, duck foot tree and Japanese silver apricot.

Ginkgo leaves

Gingko tree leaves are uniquely fan-shaped with long stalks. They are deeply notched in the middle, lobed at the sides and feel quite thick and coarse to the touch. In spring, the leaves are a light green but they turn a beautiful golden yellow in autumn.

Ginkgo flower

Each ginkgo tree has either purely male or purely female flowers. Male ginkgos form long, inconspicuous catkins that spread their pollen by wind. Female trees grow single flowers on long stems between April and May at the time of leaf emergence.

Ginkgo fruit

Botanically speaking ginkgo trees do not form fruit, they form hard seeds with a fleshy, silvery yellow seed coat. These are only formed on the female trees, and the seed coat emits a particularly unpleasant smell of butyric acid. As a result, you will almost exclusively find male gingko planted in gardens. In September, the seeds (about 2 – 3 cm in size) fall from the tree and the smelly seed coat rots, leaving the edible core.

The most beautiful varieties

In addition to the wild varieties, there are several ornamental varieties to choose from. These are purely male gingko to avoid the issue of unpleasant smells. Each variety has a sunny yellow autumn colour. Below you will find a list of our favourite ginkgo varieties:

• Ginkgo biloba ‘Fastigiata’: An upright variety, with tiny branches, that can grow up to 20 m and 4 – 8 m wide when old. As a young plant, this variety is a slow grower.
• Ginkgo biloba ‘Fastigiata Blagon’: This variety originated in France around 1980. It is a compact, upright growing tree that reaches a final height of 10 – 15 m (in exceptional cases up to 20 m). This cultivar is a single-stemmed tree and ideal for confined planting sites as it only grows 2 – 4 m wide.
• Ginkgo biloba ‘Horizontalis’: The broad, slightly pendulous growth of this cultivar forms a spreading, protruding crown when mature, about 3 – 4.5 m tall and wide.
• Ginkgo biloba ‘Mariken’: A dwarf ginkgo with a dense, spherical crown that is a slow grower – only about 10 cm per year. At full maturity it is 1.25 – 1.5 m high and up to 2 m wide.
• Ginkgo biloba ‘Pendula’: A weeping-shaped ginkgo up to 20 m tall and 15 m wide. This vigorous growing, ornamental variety forms a broad crown and is best suited for planting in a solitary position.
• Ginkgo biloba ‘Princeton Sentry’: A medium-sized tree that grows to a height of around 20 m with a narrow, conical crown. It is particularly resistant to air pollution and exhaust fumes, so is therefore an ideal urban tree for greening roadsides.

Growing a ginkgo tree

Ginkgos are not affected by diseases in Europe, and tolerate strong air pollution, wind and drought. This robust tree loves to be in full sun or partial shade. Ideally, ginkgo trees need moderately dry to moist soil with a pH between 5 and 7. Deep, permeable and nutrient-rich soils will stimulate good growth. Gingko trees are incredibly versatile, and can be grown as a spherical high stem, as a bonsai, in an umbrella-shaped form or as an espalier. Depending on their growth habit and upbringing, they require different planting spacing. Specimen trees in a solitary position should be planted at a distance of 6 – 7 m from other plants in all directions. Narrow forms can be planted together up to 2 – 3 m apart. The exact growth sizes and habits of the individual varieties can be found in the variety descriptions above. The best time to plant the frost-sensitive young plants is March before the young leaves sprout.

Planting ginkgo in the garden

To plant a ginkgo in the garden, loosen the soil and dig a hole that can accommodate deep roots. If required, add some compost to the excavated soil to provide extra nutrients for the tree and food for microorganisms. Place the root ball in the planting hole but make sure it is the same depth as it was in the original pot. Fill the hole with the soil mixture, compact it slightly around the root ball and add a mound around the base to act as a watering rim. To secure the tree, put two stakes into the ground at opposite sides of the tree and against the wind direction, then secure your ginkgo with a rope. Finally, water well to flush soil to the roots.

Planting a ginkgo bonsai or potted ginkgo tree

Only slow-growing ginkgo varieties, such as ‘Mariken’, are suitable for long-term cultivation in containers. Ginkgos can also be grown as ornamental bonsai trees. When planting a ginkgo tree in a pot or a bonsai bowl, we recommend using a high-quality potting soil, such as our Plantura Organic All Purpose Compost. It provides the plant with essential nutrients in the first period after planting and stores water well to keep the plant hydrated. To avoid waterlogging, add a drainage layer of gravel, sand or expanded clay about five centimetres high to the bottom of the pot. Add some potting soil, place the tree on top and fill the rest of the pot soil. Compact the soil slightly and water it generously afterwards. Move your gingko to a larger pot every two to three years.

Care measures

If your ginkgo has not yet established deep roots, it needs to be watered. When keeping in pots, always ensure a sufficient water supply, especially in dry and hot summers. However, be sure to avoid waterlogging. Choosing a pot with a drainage hole and adding a drainage layer of structural material before planting will ensure that excess water can drain away easily. Ginkgos are undemanding, low maintenance garden inhabitants. When grown in pots however, they need a little more TLC. As there is a limited supply of soil nutrients in a container, potted ginkgos should be fertilised regularly. Liquid fertilisers, such as our Plantura Liquid Houseplant Food, are well suited to the job. Apply the fertiliser regularly from March onwards. By simply adding it to the watering can, you will ensure that your ginkgo quickly and efficiently receives the two main nutrients – nitrogen and potassium – that it needs to thrive.

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The best time to cut back gingko tree varieties that are tolerant of pruning is in spring. While the plant is still young, the crown can be thinned out and trained as desired. Although pruning is not strictly necessary.

Bonsai ginkgo trees, on the other hand, should always be pruned to maintain the small shape. As soon as a fresh long shoot has formed 5 – 6 leaves, cut it back to two leaves. When pruning bonsai, avoid creating large wounds if possible; it is better to regularly prune shoots that are still young and thin.

Propagating Ginkgo biloba

Ginkgos are propagated from seeds or cuttings. The trees are cold germinators, so when sowing ginkgo seeds, the seed coat needs to be removed and the seed exposed to a longer period of cold. They are then left to germinate at about 15 – 20 °C on a light windowsill in nutrient-poor sowing soil. This can take up to two years. Both male and female ginkgos can be produced. Alternatively, take 10 – 15 cm long cuttings from the fresh, soft shoot tips of an existing tree in summer. Remove the leaves down to the tip and place in a sandy growing medium. Keep the cuttings well hydrated for several weeks at about 20 °C until roots have formed.

Are ginkgo trees winter hardy?

While well-established trees are generally considered hardy plants, the younger trees are quite frost sensitive. Freshly planted ginkgo trees should therefore be given good winter protection of hessian or fleece in the first few years. To overwinter potted trees, move them to a frost-free, bright and cool location.

What are the benefits and uses?

In medicine, ginkgo leaves are used to make teas, drugs and herbal remedies. They have a circulation-improving and vasodilating effect and can be used to alleviate symptoms of depression, certain forms of dementia, headaches, tinnitus or arterial occlusive disease. Ginkgo and ginseng are found together in many drugs to improve memory – it is only ginkgo leaf that is used in this case.

Few people know that ginkgo seeds are also edible, as long as the foul-smelling husk has been removed. You can harvest the seeds from September onwards. The ripe seeds will have fallen from the tree by then and can be collected and removed from their seed coat. The hard seeds can be roasted, cracked and eaten like chestnuts. In China and Japan, ginkgo seeds are considered a delicacy and are served like nuts as a snack between meals. Traditional Chinese medicine uses extracts of the seeds together with the seed coat to treat conditions such as asthma, tuberculosis and kidney diseases.

Is ginkgo poisonous and are there side effects of using it?

Gingko is not considered poisonous. The seeds are edible, and the leaves can be made into teas or herbal medicine. However, while the plants are considered to be non-toxic to both humans and animals, excessive consumption of fresh leaves can lead to digestive problems and mild symptoms of poisoning such as nausea and headaches.

As the fleshy, smelly seed coat contains skin-irritating and allergenic substances, gloves should be worn when harvesting and cleaning the tasty seeds.