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Ginkgo
Ginkgo biloba
Ginkgo is grown for its foliage rather than flowers, giving the garden structure and color all season long.
Mature size, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not.
Growing Ginkgo
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–8. Expect it to reach about 49 ft tall and 33 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 25 years.
When to plant Ginkgo
Plant Ginkgo in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. For the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 8 range, spring means April to June and fall means August or September.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar: for the middle of its range, start with zone 5 in April.
Good to know about Ginkgo
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Safety
Raw or under-cooked seeds contain ginkgotoxin, which can cause vomiting and seizures in people and pets. Only female trees make seeds; a male cultivar carries none. per ASPCA and Frontiers in Pharmacology
Worth knowing
A genuine living fossil: the last survivor of an otherwise extinct order, essentially unchanged for about 180 million years and unlike any other tree. per Clemson
Zone range varies by source
Sources split on the limits: 3 to 9, 4 to 8b, 5 to 8, or 4 to 9. The spread reflects cultivar and region. Match the cultivar to your zone. per NC State
Growth rate: slow to medium
Sources disagree, rating growth medium or slow. Either way it is not a fast tree, so site it as a long-term specimen, not a quick screen for fast cover. per NC State and Morton Arboretum
Plant a male cultivar
Only female trees drop the messy, foul-smelling, skin-irritating seeds, and a seedling hides its sex for 20 to 30 years. Buy a grafted male like 'Autumn Gold'. per NC State and Clemson
Brief but brilliant fall color
Leaves turn a clear golden-yellow, then drop nearly all at once over a day or two, often after a hard frost or heavy rain. Intense but short-lived. per NC State
A premier street tree
It shrugs off pollution, heat, drought, wind, and compacted city soil, and is moderately salt-tolerant, which is why it lines so many streets and parking lots. per Clemson
Nearly pest and disease free
Ginkgo carries no serious pests or diseases, a big reason for its street-tree reputation. The things to watch are environmental, mainly drought and waterlogged soil, not bugs. per Morton Arboretum
What pairs well with Ginkgo
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Perennial Sunflower
Shares full sun and moderate water; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Joe Pye Weed
Shares full sun and moderate to high water; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Sneezeweed
Shares full sun and moderate water; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Feather Reed Grass
Shares full sun and moderate water; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Maiden Grass
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Switchgrass
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Douglas Fir
Shares full sun and moderate water; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
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