We are happy to announce a new partnership with the University of Connecticut (UConn). Sean Vasington and Matthew Opel (pictured left) have received the ginkgo seeds.

A ginkgo, nurtured from seed to sapling for seven years, was planted on World Peace Day in Dunedin. Thank you to all of those in New Zealand who have made this planting a reality.

Thanks to Mihoko Kumamoto who guided Nikhil Seth, Alex Mejia and Chisa Mikami of UNITAR, for a special visit to our little Camellia, planted on the grounds of Sophia University in Tokyo.

Dr. Gerdhard Jessen, deputy director of the botanical garden at the Universidad Austral of Chile, shared special news about their trees on this August 6, and their future vision :

‘….We are happy to announce that a new milestone was achieved 6th August…we planted the second-generation trees from the survivor trees we have been raising since 2011. As you can see in the attached pictures and the design created by our landscape collaborator Claudia Salinas, 19 trees are now at the definitive site in our Botanical Garden.’

A moving speech by the dedicated GLH partner in the Netherlands, Dr. Rinny Kooi—on the occasion of the dedication of a Hiroshima tree at Eemsdelta College, Appingedam. Click here for the speech.

Akiko Perona, UNITAR chief of communications who was instrumental in helping us plant a hibakujumoku sapling at ICRC, sent us photos of the tree as it stands (July 2024) — a magnificent specimen, clearly ICRC gardeners have taken good care of Hiroshima’s green ambassador of peace.

Our partners at the Oslo Botanical Garden sent us pictures of the Hackberry and Japanese Summer Orange hibakujumoku seeds they received in August 2023. They have potted seeds from other species as well (10 in all), totaling 33 seeds in the soil so far; these are the first to sprout.Our partners at the Oslo Botanical Garden sent us pictures of the Hackberry and Japanese Summer Orange hibakujumoku seeds they received in August 2023. They have potted seeds from other species as well (10 in all), totaling 33 seeds in the soil so far; these are the first to sprout.

GLH is pleased to introduce its newest partner, the Godmanchester Community Plant Nursery, along with Roger Leivers, a local World War II historian and author who initially contacted us with a request for seeds. The wonderful GLH regional hub coordinator, David Dowd of CAFRE, stepped in and sent hibakujumoku Hackberry, to be nurtured by the Godmanchester Community Plant Nursery. This collaboration symbolizes a shared commitment to history, peace, and environmental stewardship, as captured in a snapshot at the nursery's orchard, where the seeds will eventually be planted.

We are delighted to learn that Jo Brennan of the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria could receive today a batch of hibakujumoku Ginkgo seeds, hand delivered by GLH partners Virginia McNally and Dominic Napoleone of the University of Melbourne. Under a shining sun, a small handover ceremony was set against the backdrop of one of the Gardens' flourishing Ginkgo specimens. The seeds are currently undergoing cold stratification in the Gardens' nursery as they prepare to be sowed. We extend our gratitude to all involved for their efforts to make this exchange happen.

In June 2017 GLH sent seeds to V.F.F. Institute Mare Nostrum e.V. NPO-Austria, who since have diligently documented the process. Their website features images of the seeds, and the flowchart below, detailing application, arrival and sowing of seeds. It also has a detailed technical analysis that includes step-by-step images and explanations for germinating the seeds. Gratitude for their care and efforts, as well as those of Shuichi Hamatani and colleagues from the Hiroshima Botanical Garden.