November 2020:

GLH Seed-picking 2020 (See a short video here)

On November 14th the GLH team and partners gathered under the Kurogane holly tree at Hiroshima Castle, for one of our precious annual seed-picking events. This year, due to the COVID-19 situation, it was perforce a smaller group/event compared to previous years. Still, the gathering was a peaceful moment for all, and we felt overwhelmed by the generosity of the Hibaku-jumoku.

Two weeks later, and based on the request from Shukkeien Garden, only three members — our coordinator Nassrine Azimi, Master Gardener Chikara Horiguchi, and Yuko Baba of GLH secretariat — could conduct seed picking at Shukkeien Garden on December 1st. Though almost all the leaves of the majestic Ginkgo biloba had fallen, we found that the seeds had not yet rotted, and instead were sleeping under a carpet of golden leaves. We happily collected nearly 1,000 seeds in total — how generous these trees are!

We would like to thank the trees and our master gardener, and all gardeners, who take care of them. We hope to continue this important mission, and these wonderful seed-picking gatherings, well into the future.