Ginkgo
Ginkgo biloba
Family Ginkgoaceae
Ginkgo watched the dinosaurs come and go, and its fan-shaped leaves haven't changed since. Every autumn the whole tree turns one shade of butter-gold, holds it, then drops every leaf in a single day — a private festival your street corner performs annually for generations.
City salt, pollution, cramped roots — a ginkgo shrugs at all of it, which is why it lines the world's toughest streets. The single rule: buy a named male cultivar; the females' raw seeds are the messy, toxic part. Do that, be patient a decade, and you've planted something effectively immortal.
Full Sun
Low water
Slow first decade growth
Needs a pollination partner
From the print shop
Growing ginkgo? Hang it.
Our Plant Library collection carries ginkgo — Ginkgo biloba, print Nº 205, “Ginkgo.”
526 designsfrom $12.99white or black backgroundmatte poster, unframed
Will it thrive where you are?
Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what ginkgo actually needs.
Hardy inZones 3-9PollinationPartner neededGinkgo · Common problems
Common ginkgo problems
Pests
1 problem on file
- NONE — 200 million years of evolving past every pest
Diseases
2 problems on file
- NONE meaningful
- Bacterial Leaf Scorch
Pollination
Poor pollination → low fruit set (plant a partner)
Ginkgo · Growing & propagation
Growing ginkgo
- Light
- Full Sun
- Water
- Low once established
Soil- ANY
Salt, compaction, pollution, drought; the urban survivor · pH 5.0 - 8.0
Fertilizer- None
Pruning- Winter, rarely needed
Almost none — naturally clean architecture.
Spacing- 25-30 ft
How to plant & propagate ginkgo
- Propagate
- Seed (stratify), cuttings, or layering
Ginkgo · Calculators & field guides
A little help in the garden.
Ginkgo · Yearly calendar
The ginkgo year, month by month
Jan
PruneDecember to February
BloomPruneBloomApril
PruneDecember to February
What each band means
- Bloom — flowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.
- Prune — shape it now — cuts heal cleanly and structure is visible.
These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.
Ginkgo · Ecology & uses
Ecology & uses
Ginkgo biloba
Ginkgo in the garden system
- Canopy layer tree
Moisture- Upland / dry
Deer- Browsed
Protect young plants
Origin- Introduced
What ginkgo is grown for
! Some parts toxic — see notesSeeds (females) toxic raw + reeking — hence males only
Use- Street trees
- Use
- Fall gold
- Use
- Immortal landscaping
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
Ginkgo · Varieties & cultivars
Choosing a ginkgo variety
'Autumn Gold' (male, classic); 'Princeton Sentry' (columnar male); 'Mariken' (dwarf globe)
Sources & plant identity
Know what you’re growing.
See where the knowledge comes from.
Ginkgo
Ginkgo biloba
The plant, at a glance.
- Botanical name
- Ginkgo biloba
- Plant family
- Ginkgoaceae
- Growth habit
- Tree · Perennial
- Origin
- Introduced
- USDA plant symbol
- GIBI2
- Invasive risk
- Low
Hardiness, size and timing vary with your cultivar, soil and climate.
Rooted in research.
University extension research, brought together with hands-on growing experience at Story Thyme Farms.
Questions
Ginkgo questions, answered straight.
Why isn't my ginkgo fruiting?
Most often: it has no genetically distinct partner nearby. Ginkgo can't pollinate itself — dioecious — plant male cultivars only (female fruit smells like biological warfare). Plant a second, unrelated one nearby; two different cultivars, or a cultivar plus a seedling, is the classic pairing.
Is ginkgo safe for kids and pets?
With care. Seeds (females) toxic raw + reeking — hence males only Site it accordingly if children or pets roam the garden. This is general reference, not medical or veterinary advice — call a vet or poison control if something has actually been eaten.
How do you propagate ginkgo?
Seed (stratify), cuttings, or layering.
Elsewhere
Where ginkgo sits in the library.
River Birch
Southern Magnolia
Colorado Blue Spruce
Weeping Willow