In California, 1995

The Story of the “Well Traveled” Ginkgo Tree

In 1992, Jean Wilcox, proprietor of Ginkgo Gardens B&B, started a consulting company called “Ginkgo Enterprises” in Half Moon Bay, CA. She chose the name because the ginkgo tree symbolizes:

·       Compassion (heart shaped leaves)

·       Intelligence (ginkgo extract is good for the brain)

·       Longevity (its been around since the dinosaurs), and

·       Wealth (the word “ginko” in Japanese means bank!)

A friend gave her a ginkgo tree seedling, all of about 12 inches tall, that she planted in front of her house. (It's only half the height of all that green in the picture ... )

Several years later she landed a contract with a large company in New Jersey which turned into a job offer she couldn’t refuse. Besides, having been born and raised in Pennsylvania Jean is an “East Coast Girl” at heart. She missed an environment with four seasons.

When the time came to physically move, she didn’t want to leave the ginkgo tree behind. Fortunately, it was still only about 2 feet tall. The movers yanked the tree out of the ground, put it in a moving box with some dirt, and threw in the moving van and gave her “no guarantees”.

That little tree survived the cross country trip in the late summer heat and was delivered to Jean’s temporary residence where it stayed in the box, on a balcony for the next five weeks, until Jean was able to move into her new home. On moving day, she cajoled a nursery into helping her move and plant the tree. They actually went “above and beyond” expectations, surprising her by showing up at the new house, with the tree, saying, “Where do you want it planted?”

The tree survived. The following spring, Jean trimmed a few of its lower branches. They were so pretty, she put them in a vase on the dining room table. The branches stayed green for weeks and weeks. One day Jean noticed that they had developed roots. She potted each branch.

Three years later, Jean once again had a job offer she couldn’t refuse - an offer to be VP of Marketing for a company in Philadelphia, PA. She accepted the position. For a while she commuted from Central New Jersey to Philadelphia ... an hour each way ... on a good day!  It wasn’t long before she decided to move to the Philadelphia area.

When asked where she wanted to live she replied, “If I can find a house in the city with a little bit of green space, that would be my preference.”

One day her realtor suggested that they look at a house on Lombard Street. He said, “It doesn’t look like much on the outside, but it’s nice inside and it has a garden.”

When Jean walked in the front door she had a feeling it was “her” house. As she went from room to room saying, “Oh, I like that!” that feeling became stronger. When she saw the size of the garden she told her agent, “Make an offer. Now!” She got the house.

But what about the ginkgo tree, now about four feet high? Her cat sitter’s son worked at a nursery and knew how to carefully dig it up and ball the roots. A friend helped her load it in her SUV and transport it to the new house. A Philadelphia nurseryman helped her plant it. 

The next year the tree doubled in size, and doubled again the following year.

Now more than 20 feet high, the tree graces the middle of the garden and blankets it with a carpet of gold leaves every fall. It found it’s home. Or maybe it has just decided it has moved enough and it was time to really put down roots.

And a footnote to the story ... the branches that Jean potted survived. One is growing nicely in front of a friend’s house in Cherry Hill, NJ. One is five feet tall but still in a pot in the back yard. It’s portable in case she ever moves again!