The Princeton Sentry® Ginkgo, otherwise known as the Ginkgo Biloba ‘Pni 2720’ or Witch Hazel ‘Early Bright’, Chinese Witch Hazel ‘Early Bright’, is a rather well known shrub plant by gardening enthusiasts around the world.
Best known for its low maintenance and slow growth, this shrub will likely liven up your house (or garden) with its chartreuse colored leaves. But, only if you learn how to take proper care of it for it to thrive.
This is why all the topics you need to know in order to achieve this will be covered in this Princeton Sentry® Ginkgo Care Guide. Ready? Let’s go!
In order to take proper care of your Princeton Sentry® Ginkgo you’ll need to keep in mind the following guidelines:
- Water: The Princeton Sentry® Ginkgo wants regular watering to enhance fruit production but as a landscape plant, too much water will be a problem.
- Light: Keep your Ginkgo Biloba ‘Pni 2720’ in an environment where it can receive full sun on a daily basis.
- Soil: Make sure to keep the Princeton Sentry® Ginkgo in soil with moist but well-draining to well draining properties, so ideally, one that is made of sand, loam, and clay.
And as with many other plants, these are the only three care factors you need to remember to make sure your Princeton Sentry® Ginkgo is, for the most part, healthy and well to survive.
Scientific / Botanical Aspects
In botanical terms, the Princeton Sentry® Ginkgo belongs to the Hamamelidaceae family, the genus Hamamelis and the species Mollis, hence its scientific (or botanical) name Ginkgo Biloba ‘Pni 2720’ (GING-ko bi-LOW-buh).
As with other Hamamelis’s, the Princeton Sentry® Ginkgo is a deciduous plant, which means it will shed its leaves annually once autumn comes.
Growing Region
The Princeton Sentry® Ginkgo is a plant native to the Western and west-central China.
Knowing your plant’s native region is very useful, as it can give you tips on which environment is best for your Princeton Sentry® Ginkgo. If you keep it in mind, you can try to replicate these conditions at home, and you’ll likely end with a healthier plant.
With this in mind, the Ginkgo Biloba ‘Pni 2720’ will be most used to the heat zones in the 5 – 9 region, as the plant hardiness level falls between 5b, 5a, 6b, 6a, 7b, 7a, 8b, 8a and the ideal climate zone is between 2B, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 15, 16, 17.
Growth and Size
Growth
In terms of size and growth, the Princeton Sentry® Ginkgo is a relatively slow grower, which makes things easy for any plant enthusiast.
Size
But, what size of Princeton Sentry® Ginkgo are we talking about? What can you expect in terms of height, spread and spacing? Let’s dig in…
The Ginkgo Biloba ‘Pni 2720′ can grow up to 10′ – 15′ (3m – 4.5m) in 10′ – 15′ (3m – 4.5m) and 10′ – 15′ (3m – 4.5m) in 10′ – 15’ (3m – 4.5m).
Also, expect it to grow in a wonderful columnar, and narrow shape, which is something worthwhile to remember when making your garden landscape plans.
Water
In terms of watering, the Princeton Sentry® Ginkgo is a fairly complicated plant to take care of.
This is mostly because it has a not so straightforward watering schedule and somewhat regular watering needs.
Specifically, most experts agree that the Ginkgo Biloba ‘Pni 2720’ wants regular watering to enhance fruit production but as a landscape plant, too much water will be a problem.
Which is why it is considered a plant with relatively average needs in terms of water.
Watering
As a rule of thumb, you should remember to keep your Princeton Sentry® Ginkgo in soil with moist but well-draining to well draining characteristics, as these will guarantee the right conditions for your plant to grow and thrive.
When you consider this, this is why you should aim to choose soil that has good drainage, moist, and occasionally wet properties to keep the right moisture levels at all times.
But, if you want a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution to watering your Princeton Sentry® Ginkgo then you should consider the famous ‘finger’ test. To perform this test, you just need to put your finger in your plant’s soil and determine if it’s moist or not. If it is, then don’t water; if it isn’t, then please do. In any case, this test will allow you to know if your Princeton Sentry® Ginkgo needs or does not need water, every time.
Soil Mix
As mentioned earlier, the Princeton Sentry® Ginkgo prefers to have soil with good drainage, moist, and occasionally wet properties at all times, reason why you need to make the soil mix out of sand, loam, and clay.
This is why most experts agree that the Princeton Sentry® Ginkgo requires soil with high organic matter, which will give you the right conditions it needs.
In addition to this, expert gardeners recommend having preferably neutral to acid soil.
Light and Exposure
In terms of light & exposure, the Princeton Sentry® Ginkgo requires full sun in order for it to thrive under the right conditions.
Most experts agree that this shrub will do well as long as you keep it in partial to full sun, and it will be able to grow properly.
Specifically, we recommend that you place your Ginkgo Biloba ‘Pni 2720’ in from little to partial shade (only 2-6 hours of direct sunlight a day), to dappled or moderate shade (under other plant’s canopy), to full and direct sun (more than 6 hours of direct sunlight per day).
Season
Being a deciduous plant, the Princeton Sentry® Ginkgo will shed its leaves annually once autumn comes.
But, you can expect it to have its ‘prime-time’ during the fall, and during the winter.
Flowers
You can expect your Princeton Sentry® Ginkgo to flower around the winter and in the spring months from January to March (winter) and from April to June (spring).
The Princeton Sentry® Ginkgo produces some beautiful yellow, or brown/copper and gold/yellow flowers around this time of year.
Foliage
The leaves from the Princeton Sentry® Ginkgo have a beautiful chartreuse color during most of the year.
In particular, they have a simple arrangement with a alternate organization in its leaves.
You can expect the leaves from your Ginkgo Biloba ‘Pni 2720’ to be around (3-6 inches) in size.
Attracts, Tolerance and Resistance
The Princeton Sentry® Ginkgo is well known for its tolerance to clay soil, and animals like deer, so don’t worry if any of these come along, your Ginkgo Biloba ‘Pni 2720’ will be fine.
Garden
Now, let’s talk garden and how your Princeton Sentry® Ginkgo will look best in it.
Most Ginkgo Biloba ‘Pni 2720’ owners agree that this shrub will look great in most asian/zen and contemporary gardens of all types.
Other owners consider that they complement well most gardens of prairie and meadow, informal and cottage, and in traditional garden styles.
In particular, the Princeton Sentry® Ginkgo’s best location within your garden is in hedges and screens, others use it for landscaping in a specimen, firescaping/fire wise, or a urban garden.
Companion Plants
Princeton Sentry® Ginkgo’s do well with some other plants beside it. One good companion plant is the Fagus, which will pair up nicely with your leafy friend.
Others consider that a nice Weigela will work well too, so choose whichever you find works best for you!
Conclusion
So that’s it! These are the main plant care requirements that you need to keep in mind in order to have a healthy Princeton Sentry® Ginkgo in your garden or home.
