‘Tree of hope’ grown from Hiroshima seeds is planted in Botanic Garden
Memories of life after the first nuclear bomb fell are helping an international conservation project, reports Victoria Brenan
IN Hiroshima in 1945, shortly after more than 100,000 people were killed by a nuclear bomb, life began to blossom again – in the form of a young Gingko tree.
Now, 75 years later, seeds taken from the tree and gifted to Edinburgh as part of a Mayors For Peace project in 2015 have been painstakingly coaxed into 13 young specimens by staff at the capital’s Royal Botanic Garden.
Yesterday, one of the young trees
– a Ginkgo biloba tree – was planted in the Japanese Valley at Benmore Botanic Garden, near Dunoon, to commemorate the anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.
The Consul General of Japan in Edinburgh, Mr Nozomu Takaoka, joined Dominic Fry, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) chairman of the board of trustees, for the poignant duty and a tour of the gardens.
Mr Takaoka said: “As we recognise the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Covid 19 continues to claim the lives of many around the world.
“Planting these Gingko trees, grown from the surviving seeds from Hiroshima in 1945, gives us great hope that life is strong and can regenerate; as well as serving as a powerful reminder of the need for world peace.
“I would like to commend the
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh at Benmore for sharing the legacy of Hiroshima, promoting the spirit of world peace and fortifying the existing bonds between Scotland and Japan at this critical juncture”.
Mr Fry said it was an “honour and a pleasure” to plant the tree.
He added: “Grown on at RBGE from ‘seeds of hope’ this tree represents the much-valued partnership and strong links between the four Gardens of RBGE and Japan.
“It is also a fine and beautiful symbol of resilience and survival in times of trial and uncertainty.”
Benmore is one of four RBGE gardens to benefit from seed collections from Japan.
From seven expeditions since 2003, 531 species and 4,731 specimens of documented wild origin are now part of the Living Collections in the gardens.
A spokesman for RBGE said the introduction of samplings from the seeds of trees overseas broadened the genetic base of cultivated material available for research and conservation
– and also encouraged the public to visit and see trees not indigenous to Scotland or the UK.
Peter Baxter, curator of Benmore Botanic Garden, added: “This is an important day to reflect on our core work and the interdependencies essential in protecting the planet.
“Conservation is a global issue and the international network of botanic gardens, by sharing expertise, has a vital role to play.”
He said the work was testament to “a coming together of minds for the greater cause – the fight against the climate emergency and biodiversity crisis”.
“The Japanese collection is a major component of the outdoor Living Collection at Benmore,” he added. “The planting of this young Ginkgo will become a reference point in our wider discussions about conservation and plant diplomacy.”
The RBGE spokesman said autumn was the most spectacular season to visit the plantings from Japan at Benmore.
“Enkianthus are now vibrant in yellow and scarlet foliage, sorbus are laden with a multitude of coloured berries and the area around the pond is a riot of hues as the flaming colours of the Japanese maples are reflected in the water,” he said. “The beautiful, apricot-tinged, leaves of the katsura tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) present an unmistakeable scent of candyfloss.”
The 120-acre site, north of Dunoon on the Cowal peninsula, is home to the famous Redwood Avenue, which has been described as “probably the greatest entrance to any botanic garden”.
It also hosts an internationally important collection of wild origin rhododendrons. Other features include conservation plantings from Chile, Japan and Tasmania.
Scotland’s four RGBE gardens at Edinburgh, Benmore, Dawyck and Logan attract more than a million visitors each year.
Planting these Gingko trees gives us great hope that life is strong and can regenerate