Ginkgo biloba 'Fastigiata Blagon'

"Gingko biloba 'Fastigiata Blagon' – a long-lived column with a quickly raked-up carpet of leaves

Gingko is unique. We'll explain how later; first, our attention goes to the 'Fastigiata Blagon' variety. It's not only beautiful but also practical.

This seedling was first found around 1980 in Blagon, France. Its growth habit is characteristic: upright with densely packed, finely branching limbs (which is what 'fastigiata' means).

Thanks to this slenderness, which it retains into old age, the tree is ideally suited for small or already densely planted gardens, for avenues, and for urban greening."

"The summer-green, fan-shaped leaves are a real eye-catcher. They are bilobed (biloba), meaning they have a notch in the middle.

In autumn, the Ginkgo turns golden yellow – a delight when the morning or afternoon sun backlights the tree. After a few weeks, the foliage falls – almost all at once. Rake once, and you're done.

And what fascinates us about the Ginkgo in general? Read on and see!"

"Symbol of life energy with 'maidenhair'

It is a living fossil. Ginkgo not only gets very old, it is one of the oldest plant species on Earth.

It is the phoenix from the ashes. Indeed, charred Ginkgo trees recovered after the atomic bombing in Hiroshima in 1945.

Despite its leafy appearance, it is a fern-like conifer with such delicate, pinnate leaflets that it earned the nickname maidenhair tree.

Ginkgo has therapeutic effects. The ginkgolides and bilobalides, found only in the leaves of this plant, are considered to promote blood circulation and are said to alleviate conditions such as dementia, Alzheimer's, dizziness, and tinnitus. However, it is pointless to simply pick the leaves from the tree and dry them. The active substances are extracted through a complex process."

"The namesake silver apricot that doesn't smell at all

Last but not least: Ginkgo is actually Ginkyo. The physician Engelbert Kaempfer, who brought the tree from Japan to Europe in the mid-18th century, wrote it down incorrectly: 'gin' means silver and 'kyo' apricot.

What's more, there are female and male trees, and only the female ones bear silvery seeds and form apricot-like fruits – after more than 20 years! Unfortunately, they smell extremely unpleasant when they ripen and burst open in the autumn.

That's why essentially only male cultivated plants are sold, as is the case with Ginkgo biloba 'Fastigiata Blagon'."