Ginkgo trees are tough trees for difficult soils and sites that provide very nice visual interest year around.

Autumn Gold Ginkgo has been the standard of seedless Ginkgo varieties for many decades, with its beautiful geometric branch structure that not only makes Autumn Gold Ginkgo incredibly strong and storm resistant, but provides striking beauty with its symmetrical and distinctive shape, especially during the half of the year when there are no leaves.

When Autumn Gold Ginkgo grows a new set of leaves, another distinctive feature becomes apparent.  The leaves of the Ginkgo trees are unlike any other I have seen, a semi-circle with rounded lobes that give a little bit of pre-historic appearance, befitting  the Ginkgo family’s status of being among the most ancient of plants being placed into modern landscapes.

If other tree varieties of trees have struggled in your difficult soils, you may want to try planting a Ginkgo.  While Autumn Gold Ginkgo with its larger size has been the most popular variety at 45′ tall x 35′ wide, the narrower Princeton Sentry Ginkgo at 40′ tall and 15′ wide offers a nice alternative for smaller spaces.  Golden Colonnade Ginkgo matures to a mid-size rating of 45′ tall and 25′ wide.

Whether you choose Autumn Gold Ginkgo or Princeton Sentry Ginkgo, or Golden Colonnade Ginkgo, you will be able to enjoy watching the gradual development of a tree with lovely branch architecture and an unusual, almost tropical appearance.  Avoid planting Ginkgo trees in wet areas, and make sure they have plenty of sunlight.  As always, to make sure your trees are vigorous and establish quickly during their first 5-8 years, keep a mulched area of 4-6 ft. diameter around your trees free of weeds and grass.  This will allow the development of good root structure, and give your new trees a competitive advantage to develop more quickly.  Fertilize modesty each spring with a 4-6 month time release fertilizer such as Osmocote.