The Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) tree is truly a living fossil. Unique in nature, this species survives as the sole remaining member of a larger family of trees now known only in the fossil record. Other species related to the Ginkgo are not known to have survived past the Pliocene epoch which extended from 5.332 million to 1.806 million years before present.
The leaves of this tree have a lovely fan shape and dichotomous venation which means that two veins enter at the base of the leaf and repeatedly fork into progressively smaller pairs. Ginkgo are deciduous and lose their leaves in the winter months. Well-established ginkgos are drought, pest, and fire-resistant and can live for many years, but they are best grown in zones 3 - 8a. Here in Tampa, we are in zone 9b and too far south for our tree to flourish. It remains small but very determinedly puts on new leaves each spring, continuing to survive, if not thrive.
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was a master builder, a rebel and a worshipper of nature. Wright introduced the word 'organic' into his philosophy of architecture as early as 1908. It was an extension of the teachings of his mentor Louis Sullivan whose slogan, "form follows function" became the mantra of modern architecture. Wright changed this phrase to "form and function are one," using nature as the best example of this integration.
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| Pfeiffer Chapel at Florida Southern College Photo by Kristen Gilpin |
Florida Southern College in nearby Lakeland has the largest collection of Frank Lloyd Wright structures in one place. The famous architect visited Lakeland often during the 25 years when his buildings were being constructed. Lakeland locals often saw the eccentric and aging Wright walking the campus and nearby areas decked out in suits of clothing that included a flowing cape, a pork pie hat and a walking stick. Learn more about Frank Lloyd Wright architecture at Florida Southern College here.
Frank Lloyd Wright Ginkgo
The Frank Lloyd Wright Ginkgo stood in front of his home and studio in Oak Park, Illinois , until it succumbed to a storm in 1992. Cuttings are taken from second-generation offspring of the original tree.
Prehistoric Garden
Ginkgo biloba is a living link to the Triassic period when dinosaurs roamed the earth. The plants in this garden also date back millions of years.
- Sago Palm (Cycas revoluta) - Not a palm at all, but a cycad, making it a member of a family of plants that have been around for more than 280 million years.
- Cardboard Palm (Zamia furfuracea) - Another misnamed member of the cycad family
- Horsetail (Equisetum hyemale) - Plants of the Equisetum family dominated the Paleozoic forests more than 500 million years ago, among the first land plants on our planet.
- Coontie (Zamia floridana) - A native cycad with an important Florida history. Learn more here.
Frank Lloyd Wright Ginkgo Art and Artists
Artwork for the information sign was created by local artist Holly Bird.
Bench artwork was created by Tampa artist and MOSI Outside Coordinator Kristen Gilpin.
About the Artist: Kristen Gilpin is a historical reenactor, maker of butterflies, artist, calligrapher, gardener, adventurer and history enthusiast who resides in Tampa, Florida. More of her art can be seen at her art blog, A Little Ink More or Less.
Artist Statement: I'm fascinated by history and how it reaches into the present. Modern ruins, ghost towns, lost graveyards and demolished places have a special draw for me. I enjoy researching and exploring these areas and using them as inspiration for my art.
This piece was inspired by the sprite sculptures and a sketch of a mural that appeared at Midway Gardens in Chicago. Midway Gardens was an indoor and outdoor entertainment complex that was designed by the architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Decorating the inside and outside of the complex were sculptures entitled Garden Sprites. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and sculpted by Alphonso Iannelli, these statues were angular and beautiful men and women. Some playful, others thoughtful, some victorious, the Sprites of Midway Gardens were paired with wall murals to create an otherworldly and beautiful space.
Midway Gardens changed hands and names several times in the brief years of its existence. In 1929 Midway Gardens was demolished and the rubble was bulldozed into Lake Michigan. The demolition included not only the building, but the hundreds of pieces of statuary that had been used at the site. In the mid 1940's several of the sprites were found damaged but intact in a field in Wisconsin, apparently having been saved from demolition. These few were restored and put on display.
Midway Gardens now exists only in black and white photographs, design sketches, memory and these few remaining intact and broken pieces of the sprites. I am glad I could help find a new garden home for the memory of Midway Gardens and the Sprites.
Thanks' for history lesson! Wright's Ginkgo Balboa tree planted by an old Scotch gardener, a Mr. Blair, who laid out Humboldt Park, several years before Wright moved there had survived that storm and still grows today with it's estimated age to be 150. It had lost it's crown, but much of it has grown back today. I am protecting an 160 year old Green Ash tree from Emerald Ash borer, which Wright originally saved when building down Forest av., just South of his studio. Wright, Jens Jensen & Olmsted utilized long lived American Ash, which today represent endangered living connections back to their storied era.
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