The illustrated growing guide
Ginkgo
Ginkgo biloba
Family Ginkgoaceae
Est. zones 3-9
A living fossil that watched dinosaurs and now shrugs at city salt. The entire species' care sheet: buy a MALE cultivar, wait a decade, then collect the single greatest fall event in trees — every fan-leaf drops butter-yellow in one day.
Full Sun
Low water
Slow first decade growth
Needs a pollination partner
From the print shop
Growing ginkgo? Hang it.
Our Autumn Foliage collection carries ginkgo — Ginkgo biloba, print Nº 7, “Ginkgo.”
16 designsfrom $21.99white or black groundmatte poster, unframed
I
Overview
Will ginkgo suit your garden, and what goes wrong.
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 at a glance
Common ginkgo problems
- NONE — 200 million years of evolving past every pest
- NONE meaningful
- Poor pollination → low fruit set (plant a partner)
II
Growing
Light, water, soil, propagation and the season’s jobs.
How to grow ginkgo: light, water & soil
How to plant & propagate ginkgo
III
The year
What ginkgo asks for, month by month.
The ginkgo year, month by month
BloomPruneWhat 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.
The ginkgo year as text
- Jan pruning
- Feb pruning
- Mar quiet month
- Apr bloom
- May quiet month
- Jun quiet month
- Jul quiet month
- Aug quiet month
- Sep quiet month
- Oct quiet month
- Nov quiet month
- Dec pruning
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.
IV
Ecology & uses
What it does for the garden, and what it is grown for.
Ginkgo in the garden system
- Canopy layer tree
What ginkgo is grown for
! Some parts toxic — see notesSeeds (females) toxic raw + reeking — hence males only
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.
V
Cultivars
Named varieties of ginkgo, ruled as a catalogue.
Best ginkgo varieties & cultivars
'Autumn Gold' (male, classic); 'Princeton Sentry' (columnar male); 'Mariken' (dwarf globe)
VI
Sources & plant ID
Where the care distinctions come from, and how the plant is filed.
Research basis
Sources behind this profile
No extension citations are attached to ginkgoyet. The care figures below come from the library's own catalogue rather than a traced primary source.
Plant ID
VII
Where to buy
Third-party nurseries — not Story Thyme Farms.
Third-party nurseries, not Story Thyme Farms. Prices are theirs.
Story Thyme Farms may earn a small commission from these links, at no cost to you — it never changes what we recommend.
Ginkgo needs a pollination partner — plant two genetically distinct trees (two different cultivars, or a cultivar plus a seedling).
VIII
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.
IX
Elsewhere
Where ginkgo sits in the library.
River Birch
Southern Magnolia
Colorado Blue Spruce
Weeping Willow