mixed
How do you feel about gingko? I love it. And I hate it. I love the unique fan shapes of the leaves. I love that the leaves are sturdy, and so they hang around in the gutters until late autumn so I have subjects to work with after everything else is gone. I love their golden yellow foliage in fall. But I hate that they are not native. I hate that they are planted so ubiquitously throughout my city, and yet they do not support the local ecosystem. I hate that their exotic beauty has made them such a popular choice for boulevards and gardens. So, my feelings about ginkgo are mixed. Where do you stand?
ginkgo tree branch (Ginkgo biloba)
Hmmm, didn’t know they are not native. I’ve always loved them, but now I guess it’s love/hate. One of my favorite characteristics is how they seem to drop all their leaves overnight. You drive past one day and it’s a blaze of golden yellow against a blue sky. The next day it’s bare branches with a skirt of yellow on the ground. Magical!
I, too, love the leaf shape, and the way they turn to golden yellow. That love is tempered by the memory of regularly walking down a street on which female ginkgo trees were planted (contrary to city ordinance) and their fruit would carpet the ground in a rotting, slippery, unpleasant-smelling mat. I still make an “ew” face thinking about it!
It’s true that the fruit of female ginkgo trees smell like vomit. That’s the pulp. The translucent jade green nutmeat inside the easily opened pit are edible.. I have used them in chawanmushi, Japanese steamed egg custard. Be careful to only eat small amounts.
Why am I thinking of my ex-husband?