On July 22, Mr. Nobuyuki Fujioka visited GLH to give an update on Hiroshima Gingko trees growing in the Batsford Arboretum, not far from where he lives. Ginkgo seeds were donated to Batsford Arboretum by GLH in 2015, thanks to the efforts of Hideko Yamada, one of our original pillars. We were thrilled to find that nine Gingko trees are now growing healthily, together in a grove, at the Arboretum. 

We are delighted to announce that the University for Peace (UPEACE) in Costa Rica has joined the GLH family as our 150th partner! Another symbolic and important partnership, to commemorate the 80th year since the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We would like to express deep appreciation to GLH partner Dr. Gerardo Avalos, who introduced us to UPEACE focal point, Dr. Olivia Sylvester. Pictured left is the site where they plan to plant the saplings. 

We have received an updated photo of the plaque!

A gingko seed was planted on the site of the Battle of Waterloo! We wish to thank all those who made this planting possible: Yukiko Van Cauwenberghe, Marie-Noëlle Crysmans, Alexander de Vos van Steenwijk, David Dowd and James Ross at CAFRE, the GLH regional hub in Northern Ireland, among many. We hope the ginkgo will grow into a gentle giant on this symbolic and historic site, under the care of Christophe Crock, head gardener of the Wespelaer Arboretum and Herkenrode Great Garden.

Our partner in Italy, Prof. Antonio Brunori and other members of PFEC including Marco Bussone, Ana Belén Noriega, and Makiko Horio came to Hiroshima on May 14. We presented Antonio to master gardener Chikara Horiguchi—and soon they became best friends, despite the language barrier—language of trees truly universal! We also learned so much from Antonio, whose passion for and knowledge about trees impressive, and are looking forward to more cooperation in the future around the hibakujumoku. Attached press release from PEFC in response to the earlier awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Nihon Hidankyo, including information on their activities related to the hibakujumoku seeds and second-generation saplings. Thanks to the passion and dedication of Antonio and Tiziana Volta, as well as their many colleagues and associates, 49 trees from GLH seeds have been "adopted" all over Italy to date.

Dr. Rinny Kooi has shared an up-to-date list of seeds and saplings distributed around The Netherlands. Thus far, our indomitable partner has shared 26 seeds/seedlings with over 22 cities!

Our partners at the Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques (CJB) in Geneva have sent an update of three of the Ginko biloba, which have germinated and are now growing in their experimental greenhouses. Pictured right are the saplings, as well as Head Gardener, Nicolas Freyre receiving the most recent delivery of seeds. Thank you to Diane Bacher for sharing this update with us. 

Shared by our partners Dr. Kristi Multhaup and Dr. Susana Wagdymar at Davidson College: images are from Earth Day 2024, during which a planting ceremony was held for eight ginkgo saplings. Staff, students, and the community attended, representing a variety of disciplines.

It was a true liberal arts college celebration that included social sciences (historical context of the Hiroshima bombing), natural sciences (facts about gingko trees), humanities (poetry reading in both Japanese and English), and the arts (string piece with context provided by the orchestra director). We also included crafts, with paper crane folding to offer decorations on the ropes around each sapling and/or for participants to take with them.

– Kristi Multhaup, Professor of Psychology

2024 marks the first time that the only Eucalyptus hibakujumoku—located on the grounds of Hiroshima Castle—gave fruit, which were collected and sent to our partners in Australia. While no seeds were found, we will all persevere and try again next year.

(Pictured from left to right in group photo: Dermot Molloy, Senior Curator Horticulture at Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne; Virginia McNally, System Garden Curator and Arborist at The University of Melbourne; and Jo Brennan, Horticulturalist at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne)

Our stately Eucalyptus hibakujumoku, sketched and kindly gifted by Mr. Peter Sparber of Philadelphia. 

GLH Seasonal Photo (January 2025): Eucalyptus globulus subsp. bicostata