Ginkgo – Culture as a Bush

Q: I live in Brooklyn, New York. After hurricane Sandy all the trees around my house were killed due to the flooding from the sea water. I had them cut down to the stumps. Last summer my ginkgo tree stump started to sprout, looking like a small bush. This summer it is getting larger both vertically and horizontally. Will this once again form into a tree?

A: Some people might advise you to select one straight stem in the center of the bush and let that become the trunk of your new tree. I think this is a bad idea. The new trunk will be weakly attached to the original trunk. Although the brand new trunk might grow several feet tall, I think eventually a strong wind will knock it over, since it is not really anchored to the earth but only to the bark of the original tree.

It would be safer, I think, to culture this as a shrub.

You’ll be the only person from miles around with a ginkgo bush!