Cooperative Living October 2018 - 31

The female gingko tree produces a rounded botanical part that
looks like a fruit but is actually a " naked seed. "
dropping. YouTube videos have captured
this amazing " leaf fall " where the gingko
drops most of its leaves in a matter of
hours, leaving a dazzling golden carpet
Golden gingko leaves lie on the ground, showing their distinctive
fan-shaped leaves.
beneath its branches.
My dog Daisy, an incurable jumper
into leaf piles, would have loved a
gingko. The tree is as delightful and
welcome a seasonal treat
as the ice cream truck in
summer, so round up the
neighborhood kids at the
fall drop and frolic.
Gingkos make fabulous
The gingko is a sturdy, adaptable tree. Its many unique qualities
includes its ability to survive, its medicinal properties, and its
insect-repellent qualities.
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shade trees and are best
situated in the open where
their full glory can be
showcased and
appreciated. They need
to be in the larger setting
since they grow to 50 feet
or more and spread to 30
feet in width over 15 to
20 years. They grow
quickly as young trees. The
majority of their width is
not put on until the tree
is mature, so young trees
are taller than wide.
Gingkos prefer full sun
or some light afternoon
shade. The soil should be
well-draining, but they
are salt and pH tolerant.
They tolerate almost
anything except boggy
conditions. They are
irregularly shaped trees
- branches jutting off to
the side display a lovely,
irregular charm. After
the leaves drop, the tree's
interesting shape becomes apparent,
and the large buds emanating from
the stems provide great interest in the
winter landscape.
As if the gingko has not offered
enough exceptional traits, here is one
more. The tree often develops a ring of
new shoots around its original trunk
from structures called chi-chis, special
organs of regeneration that allow them
to survive catastrophic injury. These
sprouts regenerate from the base of the
tree and stay in a suppressed state as a
sort of insurance policy for injury. If
something happens to the main trunk
to damage it, the sprouts form a second
generation of trees. In China, there
have been as many as four generations
of gingko trees to grow in huge circles.
The chi-chi sprouts have given
nurserymen and gardeners a compact
way to grow a gingko - a bonsai
version. So if you want the dwarf
representation (about 30 " tall x 20 "
wide) of the ancient majestic tree, you
can try your hand at the bonsai style.
You could enjoy the same bright-green
fanned leaves during the growing
season and their turn to butter-yellow
in the fall.
If ever there were an adaptable and
sturdy tree, the gingko is it. To answer the
question " When is the best time to plant
a tree, " old-timers quip " 20 years ago, "
since it takes a good while for trees to
get to an impressive size. Well, it's fall -
maybe you need to go right now and
plant this spectacular specimen. 
October 2018 | Cooperative Living | 29
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Cooperative Living October 2018

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