Choosing a Ginkgo biloba: our buying guide

Depending on pruning and use

With slow growth during the first 10-12 years of its life, the Ginkgo biloba can become very tall (reaching more than 30 m in height at times) and surpass the venerable age of 1000 years. If its growth habit is columnar in youth, its habit spreads with age, spreading to nearly 10 m in diameter for the most imposing specimens. Hence the importance of allocating a space to suit it. Since Ginkgo does not respond well to pruning, mature height is an essential criterion when selecting one. The tallest Ginkgos make a superb display when planted as solitary specimens in the centre of a lawn or as a focal point in a large shrub border, when dwarf varieties are particularly well suited to pot culture, to complement a rock garden, in a collection of miniature conifers, or can be easily grown as bonsai.

The largest Ginkgo varieties

• TheGinkgo biloba ‘Menhir’ naturally forms a 15 m tall column. It is ideal for parks or large gardens.
• The Ginkgo ‘Saratoga’ also reaches up to 15 m in height at maturity, and is perfect as a solitary specimen in a large garden.
• The Ginkgo ‘Autumn Gold’ is notable for its majestic dimensions, reaching up to 24 m in height. It establishes itself as a solitary specimen on the lawn.

Medium-sized varieties

They form handsome specimens, more or less upright, typically 4 to 10 m tall. They bring brightness to a shrub border and to small gardens.

• The Ginkgo biloba ‘Blagon’, with a height of 10 m and a spread of 2 m, can fit into smaller gardens. It is a good avenue tree and shade tree for an urban garden or terrace.
• The Ginkgo ‘Horizontalis’ easily fits into restricted spaces and is suitable for shading a small terrace thanks to its compact dimensions, not exceeding 4 m in height and 6 m in spread at maturity (1.5 m tall by 3 m wide at 10 years).

The smallest Ginkgos

Some dwarf varieties are perfectly suited to pot culture or small spaces.

• The Ginkgo ‘Mariken’: this small form will not exceed 80 cm to 1 m in all directions after 10 years, which makes it suitable for small gardens as well as terraces.
• TheGinkgo biloba ‘Troll’ is a dwarf Ginkgo that barely exceeds 1 m in all directions, perfect for small city gardens or for growing as bonsai.
• Even smaller, theGinkgo biloba ‘Chris Dwarf’ will not exceed 60 cm in all directions at 10 years. This mini ginkgo is stunning in a rockery.

See also: How to grow a Ginkgo biloba in a pot?

The height of ginkgos varies greatly: ‘Autumn Gold’ (left) becomes particularly large at maturity, while the variety ‘Mariken’ (right) remains dwarf

According to habit.

The growth habit of Ginkgo biloba may vary by cultivar: columnar or globose, and may also exhibit a weeping or table-shaped silhouette.

• The Ginkgo ‘Pendula’ stands out for its weeping habit which, over time, takes on an umbrella-like appearance.
• The variety ‘Gold Flame’ is notable for its particularly narrow habit, eventually reaching 10 m in height and 1.25 m in spread.
• The Ginkgo biloba ‘Eiffel’is another unique selection due to its fastigiate and slender form which adds verticality to any medium-to-large garden.
• The Ginkgo ‘Globus’ delights with its perfectly rounded crown.
• The Ginkgo ‘Horizontalis’ forms a broad, low umbrella with compact dimensions. It has no equal for adding a distinctive touch to a small garden or the centre of a large border.

→ If you would like to learn more about the different tree habits, read Trees and shrubs: the different growth habits.

→ Learn more about umbrella-shaped trees

Ginkgo biloba ‘Pendula’ and Ginkgo ‘Horizontalis’

Foliage colour and ornamental interest

Although deciduous, the Ginkgo foliage presents a remarkably luminous display all year round. Its leaves, with the distinctive notched fan shape, emerge green in spring and unfold into sublime, intensely luminous golden-yellow hues at the end of the season. The charm reaches its peak when, in autumn, they blanket the ground with a carpet of golden coins.

• The Ginkgo biloba ‘Saratoga, features long, slender leaves that hang gracefully and transition from light green in spring to golden yellow at the end of the season.
• The Ginkgo ‘Globus’ offers larger leaves than those of the standard variety. Cone-shaped, they take on pretty bluish reflections in summer, then turn to the characteristic golden yellow.
• The Ginkgo ‘Mariken’ stands out for smaller foliage and somewhat more pleated than that of the species, yet just as golden yellow in autumn.
• The Ginkgo ‘Gold Flame’ is known for its foliage turning to beautiful golden colours in autumn. This variety is particularly bright.
• The Ginkgo ‘Autumn Gold’, initially light green, somewhat bluish in summer, its autumn foliage turns to an intense yellow, almost orange. It brings a striking colour to the garden.