Low Maintenance Pest-free Ginkgo biloba Tree

Good for your memory and beautiful in the landscape, consider planting a ginkgo tree for years of enjoyment.

You’ll find this pest-free plant growing along city streets, in parks and home landscapes. But did you know it also existed when dinosaurs roamed the earth? Fossils dating back more than 200 million years ago contain leaf images of this tree.

Also known as the maidenhair tree, its fan shaped leaves turn a brilliant yellow in the fall and all drop from the tree in one or two days, making for easy fall clean up. Select a male clone to avoid the smelly fruit; although some foragers are able to get past the smell and enjoy the nut inside.

The ginkgo prefers moist well-drained soil but tolerates a wide range of conditions including clay and compacted soil. It tolerates air pollution and the deer tend to leave it be.

A bit more information: Those with female ginkgo trees in their community may want to try harvesting and roasting a few. The roasted seed is supposed to be a delicacy. Plant for a Future warns not to eat if allergic to ginkgo, cashew or poison ivy and recommends roasting the seeds first to avoid any possible toxicity.