We are excited to welcome our new partners in Canada, the University of Saskatchewan. Thanks to Jackie Bantle, Greenhouse and Horticulture Facility Manager, who coordinated this, and to Joe DeWolf at the San Diego Botanic Garden, who is working on the seed dispatch. The seeds will be planted in the Patterson Arboretum. 

We are honored to announce that the University of Melbourne is now the GLH Regional Hub for Oceania. We would like to thank the devoted Virginia McNally for her unwavering support. It is our hope that GLH's message and family will steadily flourish through this important 1,000-year project. See the partner page to follow their activities.

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 have received an updated photo of the plaque!

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. 

On May 15, 2025, apprentices planted ten trees, each 1.2-1.5 metres tall, in the Dunedin Botanic Garden arboretum. Located between the sports field and the Dunedin Northern Cemetery, this new grove—part of the Green Legacy Hiroshima initiative—sits alongside a popular walking track. We are all excited to see them flourish!

We have received a wonderful update from our partners at the Kutaisi Botanical Garden! Linked here is their detailed account and latest updates on the second-generation hibakujumoku since their arrival to Kutaisi, Georgia in 2017. 

A big thank you to Hiroshima Botanical Garden (HBG) for sending the 2025 batch of seeds to our regional hubs, the San Diego Botanic Garden (SDBG) and the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE). Pictured left, Joe DeWolf receiving the precious package.

Some exciting updates from Dr. Gerardo Avalos:

Ready to plant their first two ginkgos, one in the Japanese Garden at the Lankester Botanical Gardens in Cartago, the other on the main campus of the University of Costa Rica. They are also coordinating with the Japanese Embassy in Costa Rica, and hope to hold the planting ceremonies around August 6th, in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

As part of this project, we are developing a children's book (for ages 5–8) inspired by the Ginkgo story […] This book is being translated into multiple languages—12 so far—thanks to a dedicated international group of volunteers, mostly young students, who are generously contributing their time and expertise. 

– Dr. Gerardo Avalos

Dr. Avalos also plans to translate the book into two indigenous languages in Costa Rica, as well as producing a physical book and an online version (which will have all translations as well as background music).

I hope to spread the word about building a culture of Peace and a future in which humanity will not have to face the possibility of annihilation due to atomic weapons and weapons of mass destruction. 

– Dr. Gerardo Avalos