I got a chance last week to go and visit the Ginkgo at Kew, which is one of the oldest trees in the gardens. Planted in 1762, it is supposed to be one of the first ginkgoes planted in Britain (see Yet More Ginkgos).

The ‘Old Lion’ Ginkgo at Kew

The tree is just breaking into leaf and the stumpy side branches I talked about in Ginkgo-A Living Fossil mean that the fresh green leaves look almost like clusters of blossom.

Looking more closely at the lower branches, I can see the tiny, fan-shaped leaves just starting to emerge, along with the male pollen-bearing cones.

My own Ginkgo tree in its pot is a little further behind, in the frozen north, but I’m looking forward to watching its leaves emerge in due course.

Of course some people just need to go one better with their Ginkgo photos to make me jealous…