The Ginkgo tree originally hails from Asia, where deep freezes are pretty rare. However, it turns out these “living fossils” are actually quite resilient and can handle our winters just fine! Depending on how old your tree is and whether it’s in the ground or a pot, you might just need to give it a little extra TLC when the temperature drops.
Protecting Young Trees
While you technically *could* keep a Ginkgo as a houseplant, they really shine (and grow much better) when they’re planted outdoors. Older, established trees are usually tough as nails and survive winter without much help. My best tip for the big guys? Give the trunk a coat of white tree paint (limewash). This helps prevent the bark from splitting when the sun warms it up too quickly on freezing days.
Younger trees, on the other hand, need a bit more coddling. Their bark isn’t quite thick enough yet to withstand harsh freezes on its own. I recommend wrapping the trunk with a burlap sack or coconut fiber mats. Just make sure whatever you use is breathable—you don’t want moisture getting trapped against the trunk, which can lead to rot or nasty bacteria.
Caring for Potted Ginkgos
If you’re growing a Ginkgo in a container, it’s still naturally hardy, but you’ve got to be a bit more careful. Just like with young trees, wrapping the trunk with breathable material is a smart move.
The real challenge with pots is protecting the roots. Since the root ball is in a limited amount of soil above ground, it’s at risk of freezing solid—unlike trees in the ground where the earth stays relatively warm. When a pot freezes from all sides, it can cause permanent damage to those sensitive roots.
One trick is to “heel in” the pot by burying it in the garden for the winter; the ground will act as natural insulation. If that’s not an option, you’ll need to wrap the pot itself. For the container (not the tree!), bubble wrap works great. Also, try to get the pot off the cold pavement by placing it on a thick piece of Styrofoam or a wooden pallet to provide a buffer from the frozen ground.
