San Diego Botanic Garden To Hold Ceremonial Event For A Seedling Grown From Atomic Bomb Survivor Tree

This August, San Diego Botanic Garden (SDBG) joins in partnership and unity with Green Legacy Hiroshima (GLH) Initiative to dedicate a newly planted ginkgo tree descended from a mother tree that survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan more than 70 years ago.

A message of caution and hope

The Survivor Tree Commemoration will take place at the Garden on Saturday, August 5 at 4:15PM, corresponding to the exact time in Pacific Standard Time that the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. The ceremonial event will also include guest speakers as well as a community wish writing activity for attendees to participate in.

GLH is a global campaign aimed at spreading the universal messages of caution and hope that the unique survivor trees of Hiroshima represent.

Known in Japanese as Hibakujumoku, these survivor trees bring awareness to the dangers of arms of mass destruction, and nuclear weapons in particular, as well as the sacred character of humankind and the resilience of nature.

Descendants of bombed trees now in more than 40 countries

Currently, seeds and saplings from the A-bombed trees are growing in more than 40 countries in a sustained, long-term campaign, joining other efforts to establish a nuclear-free and more ecological planet.

The result of a multiyear partnership with GLH, San Diego Botanic Garden received its ginkgo as a seedling from Shukkeien garden in Japan in 2020, and was recently planted at SDBG in June of 2023.

Often referred to as a living fossil, the ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) is one of the oldest living tree species with the ability to live up to 1,000 years. The planting symbolizes a hopeful opportunity to continue the lineage of survivor trees for hundreds, potentially thousands, of years to come.

Guest speakers and ceremonial activities

Guest speakers and representatives from Green Legacy Hiroshima will be in attendance for the Survivor Tree Commemoration on August 5. In addition, visitors are invited to take part in a community wish writing and leaf rubbing activity where they can express written or drawn representations of wishes for the future.

“The Hibakujumoku have an amazing ability to simultaneously commemorate the devastation wrought by the bombing of Hiroshima and instill a profound sense of hope in the future. If trees can survive such an event, and their progeny can be shared across the world, there’s clearly so much we can do together to make the world a better place for people and plants,” said SDBG President and CEO, Ari Novy, Ph.D.

“We are honored to be part of this initiative and invite the community to join us in commemorating the history, legacy, and symbol of peace that this beautiful tree represents.”

Novy was part of a select group of plant scientists and botanic garden experts invited by GLH to visit Hiroshima in November 2022. The scientists visited various sites of the survivor trees throughout the city and helped gather seeds to preserve and grow second-generation survivor trees around the world, making it a truly global partnership.

See you there

Select portions of the Garden will be accessible until 6PM for the survivor tree commemoration event, with the last entry at 4:30PM. It is recommended that visitors arrive before the event start time if they would like to visit the full Garden. 

For more information about San Diego Botanic Garden please visit the website here.

See you there, San Diego!