Wholesale Goldspire Ginkgo – Columnar Ginkgo for Shaping & Hedges

We’ve been growing Goldspire Ginkgo since around the time it was introduced to the U.S., starting with small liners from a nursery in Tennessee. What first sold me was a photograph of a block of narrow ginkgos in their full golden fall color. I suspect that same photo has sold plenty of other growers on this tree.

After growing it ourselves, though, I think that picture needs a little explanation. In our experience, achieving—and keeping—that very narrow shape takes pruning. Left to grow naturally, Goldspire develops a fuller, broader habit than those tightly shaped trees suggest.

That natural shape has its own appeal. Ours have grown into large, shrub-like plants that can make a wonderful deciduous hedge when planted together. And the fall color is everything you would hope for from a ginkgo: spectacular golden yellow.

Where Goldspire really stands out for us is how well it responds to shaping. Its short internodes—the close spacing between buds—and abundant dormant buds along the branches give it plenty of places to push new growth after pruning. We’ve found that it responds well even to substantial cutting back, allowing us to reshape plants that have grown beyond the desired outline.

After all these years, we think Goldspire may be one of the best ginkgo cultivars in the trade for shearing and shaping. Give it room to develop naturally, or maintain a tighter form with pruning. Both approaches have their place—the key is knowing what to expect.