The gink is about to go!

By the time this issue of the newspaper hits the stands, the leaves from our ginkgo will all be on the ground. One day the tree is full with the bright yellow leaves and the next day the branches are empty. The “ginkgo drop” is sort of a family event here now, a standard fall event that generally occurs around Halloween. In fact, last year, the leaves dropped on Halloween. This year, and I don’t know why, the leaves are hanging on a bit longer. I figured, with the drought, that the leaves would drop early, but such is not the case.

However, there has been increased activity lately as the ground around the tree begins to collect some early departures. I was surprised to see how few leaves fell during recent blustery east northeast winds. Not quite ready I guess. Many of the other trees on the property are very bare now. The maples and birches have shed, perhaps more affected by the lack of rain.

On the other hand, the two big weeping beeches, now both over 30 feet tall, cling to their leaves with a vengeance. They always are the last trees to lose leaves. When we planted them they were both only about 8 feet tall, but we must have chosen good spots for them because both have grown significantly every year. Our Aunt Bea told us that they would become very large when we chose them to become part of our plantings. The biggest tree is now almost 8 inches in diameter at the base with branches that create a waterfall of purple and green. The drought did impact this year’s growth, though. The top branches became quite discolored in August with not much added to height which is where new growth is most obvious. We are hoping that some frail rains will help to restore vitality before temperatures fall off for winter.

Now, back to Mr. Ginkgo. And, we are sure about the tree's gender. I am especially aware of this because the female tree is a different breed of cat. Some time ago, while walking somewhere, I detected a very unpleasant “fragrance” while on a street lined with ginkgo trees.

It seems that the female plant creates fruit that has a rather distinct odor. We got a male plant. Dumb luck I guess. We’d have known straight away had we planted otherwise.

According to my limited research, the ginkgo has a very significant history. One bit of information referred to the tree as a “living fossil” having been around since before the dinosaurs. How one computes that is beyond me. Apparently the tree is native to China and can provide significant traditional medicine and food. Symbolically, the tree represents longevity, resilience and healing. Anything that’s been around since before the dinosaurs deserves some recognition. We certainly enjoy its seasonal brilliance and timely performance.

Maybe some of the Ginkgo perseverance will rub off on us. Time will tell.