Many people are familiar with the Ginkgo, or maidenhair tree, which is often found in urban conditions as a city street tree. Adaptable and attractive, it has one big fault, and that is the incredibly bad smell of the fruits when they fall to the ground. Ginkgo trees come in separate male and female trees. Cheaper trees are grown from seed, so it is impossible to predict if your tree is male or female, and impossible to predict, therefore, if when it matures you will be cursed with those terrible fruits. There is a solution, and that is to buy a guaranteed male tree, not grown from seed but from stem pieces. One of our favorites is the Jade Butterflies Ginkgo, a 100%-guaranteed male tree that will fill your garden with a flock of fluttering ‘butterflies’ when those dense clumps of foliage develop, and present you with outstanding golden fall colors too. This tree is a dwarf form, growing in time no more than 12 to 15 feet tall, and so it fits perfectly into a smaller garden, while regular ginkgo trees can tower over 40 feet in time. The leaves are smaller too, in perfect scale with the rest of this lovely specimen, that will grace even the smallest urban garden with its beauty. Bonsai lovers will find it perfect too.

Growing the Jade Butterflies Ginkgo Tree

Size and Appearance

The Jade Butterflies Ginkgo Tree is a unique dwarf tree, growing slowly to become 10 or 15 feet tall and perhaps 10 feet wide, in its first 20 years. It lends itself well to creative pruning, or it can be left to grow naturally into an upright slender pyramid of angular branches. The bark is a handsome pale brown-gray, with deep vertical grooves developing over time, and rugged ridges that give it a lot of character. The leaves are arranged in two ways – along new stems they are evenly spaced, but older stems carry their leaves in clusters from very short, thick side branches, called ‘spurs’. In this variety these clumps are dense and bushy, giving mature trees a unique look that has been compared with the Lion’s Head Japanese Maple (‘Shishigashira’). The actual leaves are about 2 inches long and wide, only two-thirds the size of normal ginkgo leaves, shaped like an open fan, with many thin veins growing towards the end, and an irregular edge of rounded cuts and waves. The leaf is held upwards, a little like the wings of a Butterflies, and they are an exceptionally-bright dark green, compared to other ginkgo trees. In fall they turn a reliable light golden yellow, making a beautiful sight. Leaves don’t yellow until cold weather comes, so in warmer zones it can be November before this tree colors. This tree is a male tree, and the inconspicuous flowers might not even be noticed. No fruits form, so the objectionable smelly fruit of female trees is completely avoided – guaranteed.

Using the Jade Butterflies Ginkgo Tree in Your Garden

This is a dwarf tree, so there is no danger of it outgrowing even a small space. Use it in small urban gardens and courtyards, and it is perfect to bring an Asian feel to a simple garden layout. Grow a row as an informal screen, or create an avenue along a path or driveway – ideal if you don’t have a large garden but want that majestic look. This is also a great little tree for a planter box or tub, and for developing into a bonsai tree.

Hardiness

The Jade Butterflies Ginkgo Tree grows everywhere from zone 4 to zone 9, but in some years you won’t see fall color in zone 4, because the temperatures can fall so fast that the leaves drop before they have a chance to color.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Full sun is best for the Jade Butterflies Ginkgo Tree, and that will also give the best fall coloring. Despite its smaller size, this tree is just as rugged and durable as other ginkgo trees, so it thrives in urban environments and poor soils, as well as, of course, better garden soils. Acid and alkaline soils are suitable, and so are soil types from clay to sand. It tolerates urban air pollution and road salt as well. Avoid soils that are constantly wet.

Maintenance and Pruning

Unless you are training it to a specific form, this tree needs no special care. It is normally free of pests and diseases and once established it is drought resistant. If you do have a future shape in mind, remove unwanted branches early, to avoid developing scars that will take many years to disappear.

History and Origin of the Jade Butterflies Ginkgo Tree

The maidenhair, or ginkgo tree, Ginkgo biloba, is a unique tree, given its own division in the plant kingdom. It is quite literally a living fossil, and this species is around 200 million years old, remaining unchanged since it first evolved. Despite its appearance, and having its own special division among plants, its closest relatives seem to be conifers, because the flowers are cone-like. It has been grown in gardens and temples for centuries in China and Japan, and apart from a few ‘semi-wild’ areas it seems to have become extinct in the wild a long time ago. Always a popular tree, many varieties have been developed. The variety called ‘Jade Butterflies’, or ‘Jade Butterfly’, was first listed in America by ArborVillage Nurseries, Holt, Missouri, in 2006. It originated in New Zealand, at one of that country’s most famous and oldest nurseries, Duncan and Davies, and the name is from the way the leaf clusters look like clumps of small, fluttering butterflies. Both these nurseries no longer exist.

Buying the Jade Butterflies Ginkgo Tree at the Tree Center

The Jade Butterflies Ginkgo Tree is a unique and remarkable small tree that is not just for collectors, but for anyone who wants a special specimen in their garden. Ideal for small gardens, our stock of such a rare plant is very limited, so order now – they will all be gone very soon.