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Julie Monson writes:
Of the trees we planted in our new garden eight years ago - mayten, coast live oak, Japanese maple and vine maple, purple-leafed plum, Arbutus ‘Marina’, Austrian black pine and dogwood - one of my favorites (and hardiest) is Ginkgo biloba.
It is now a graceful 25-foot high tree, with a spread of its lower branches to about 15 feet. It is stunning, especially in the fall, when its fan-shaped green leaves turn brilliant yellow and shiver on their slender stems. The leaves tend to fall suddenly, creating a golden carpet surrounding the base of the tree.
Recently, I was given a second gingko, now only 5 feet tall, which I planted near its cousin, with the expectation that as they mature their golden plumage might mingle for a spectacular effect. At the end of the driveway near our garage, these two special trees signal a “welcome home,” whether I’m returning from a local errand or a six-week trip.
Gingko biloba has a fascinating history, beginning with a fossil record as early as 270 million years ago. It was widely distributed 180 million years ago, and is therefore a relic of another epoch. Native to China, it was discovered in Japan and taken to Belgium in about 1727 by Engelbert Kaempfer, a German naturalist with the Dutch East India Company. He introduced gingko into European cultivation at the Botanic Garden of Utrecht.
Read the rest at the Marin Independent Journal.