Much of my work involves street trees. They need more of my kind of attention than most other trees. They must conform to more restrictive limitations. They endure more abuse. They are the most prominent trees on urban properties. Because some are assets of their respective municipalities, they are more stringently protected by local ordinances than other trees are.
I planted quite a few street trees too. While selecting trees for the medians of San Vicente Boulevard in Los Angeles, we considered the clearance of the lowest limbs above the highest truck traffic, the docility of roots under curbs and pavement, the potential for foliar debris, the resiliency to neglect, and the resistance to pathogens. Those were just some of the major concerns.
We sort of wanted them to look good too.
Ginkgoes, at least modern (fruitless) cultivars, work well as street trees. They are tall and slender, and can be pruned for clearance above streets and sidewalks. Their roots are reasonably complaisant, and take many years to displace concrete. ginkgoes defoliate neatly in autumn, with no debris for the rest of the year. They are resistant to pathogens and tolerant of neglect.
They also look great in their monochromatic but brilliant yellow fall color. (Try to not notice all those utility cables.)
This pair of ginkgoes is in front of an old home in town that was formerly the office of the Los Gatos Weekly Times, before it expanded into the larger Silicon Valley Community Newspapers group. Two decades and one year ago, this was where I dropped off the first of my weekly gardening columns, first as hard copy on paper, then on floppy discs. The trees were smaller then.
One day back in about 1999 or so, I stopped by on my way back from delivering rhododendrons and other horticultural commodities from the farm. I was driving the big delivery box truck. I realized how important adequate clearance is when the truck tore a significant limb from the tree on the left. The tree and I both can attest to the resiliency of the species to such abuse.
Tony Tomeo 
They look beautiful!
>
LikeLiked by 1 person
Than you. I am normally more proficient with my ‘pruning’.
LikeLike
Gingkos can be so stunning. Even without leaves, the limb structure is striking. I’m glad you revisited the trees in front of the former newspaper. They look well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
They are right downtown, just off the main Avenue. I was right near there. It was such a nice place to work, even though I never actually worked there.
LikeLiked by 1 person
These are my favourite street trees. Glorious colour and interesting leaf shape.
LikeLiked by 1 person
They are not my favorite, but they are so much better than my favorites. (Unless I trip on it, I don’t notice a busted sidewalk much when looking up at a gorgeous Norway maple!) In regions where they do well, they really should be more popular than they are as street trees. I think they are unpopular now because of their reputation for making stinky fruit. Modern cultivars are all fruitless males.
LikeLike
They do have great fall color. They may start out slender, but I’ve seen some that become quite bulky over the years.
LikeLiked by 1 person
When I did my internship in the summer of 1988, we cut down a few female ginkgo trees that were planted as street trees in San Jose decades earlier. The female trees had a rather distinctive but unappealing form, with multiple upcurving trunks branching about eight feet up on a single trunk, and a rounded top. They were widest on top. The males started out slender, and the bulked up as lower limbs curved upward, but stayed lower than the single main trunk. They were wider down low. It was odd that there were so many males, but only a few females. With date palms and Canary Island date palms (which are common in San Jose), almost all trees are shorter and fluffier females. They need only a few taller and less fluffy males to pollinate harems of females. Females eventually get just as tall as males, but stay fluffier, with orange clusters of dates. It sort of makes me think that horticulturists, a long time ago, tried to select male ginkgos. Years after female ginkgos were eliminated from a neighborhood, a few males somehow changed gender to become female. As they did that, they tried to bulk out high up, and became rather awkward.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on Tony Tomeo and commented:
While in the Los Angeles region a month or so ago, it was gratifying to see some of the trees that we installed within the median of San Vicente Boulevard years ago.
LikeLike
I love Ginkgoes, my father grew one from seed, it took almost 40 years to reach 18 feet. Ended up female with the smelly fruit. I did not realize they would grow that far south.
LikeLiked by 1 person
They grow in San Diego, but are not big trees. Modern male cultivars grow more vigorously and with better and broader form. Will will likely add a few here, but only for their bright yellow color amongst the redwoods. We know that they will be scrawny.
LikeLike
Have you seen the ones in Japan??
LikeLiked by 1 person
Only in pictures. My Pa is a bonsai master, so is familiar with such trees, and grew cuttings from at least one of the more prominently sculptural specimens.
LikeLiked by 1 person
you need to go and visit the Gingkoes and Zelkovas in their native environs and the pruning is crazy!! They bonsai full size Japanese Black Pines..
LikeLiked by 1 person
Heck! I have not been to ten counties of California. Japan is not exactly a priority for me.
LikeLike