As the year draws to a close, what can a ginkgo tree teach us about fresh starts and letting go? Whether you’re a gardener or just looking for a moment of clarity before the new year; pause, breathe, and find your own moment of peace.
I went for a walk in Greenwich Park earlier this week, hoping to catch the last of the autumn colours before the trees become completely bleak and bare. In the Flower Garden there’s a particular ginkgo tree I always look forward to — an old favourite on my usual route that I always check in with. This time, it had already shed every single leaf.
Where just weeks ago it shimmered gold, it now stood bold and bare against the watery winter sunlight. At its feet lay a soft scatter of fan-shaped leaves, making the prettiest golden carpet across the grass. Even in dormancy, it felt full of personality — serene, self-assured, and utterly unbothered by the suddenness of its transformation.
Ginkgoes do that. They carry their leaves until they don’t, and then, almost overnight, they let go of the lot — a clean, confident shift from one season to the next.
As I stood there, I realised how much I love that moment. And how much it speaks to this time of year.
A Gardener’s Lesson in Letting Go
As a gardener, I’ve always found the ginkgo an especially wise tree. It doesn’t cling to what it no longer needs. It doesn’t hesitate. It doesn’t apologise for shedding what has served its purpose. It simply releases — and in doing so, it creates something quietly beautiful on the ground below.
It’s a reminder I need every December: that letting go is part of growth, and that sometimes one clear, well-timed decision can bring a sense of relief that’s been building all year.
Why This Tree Means So Much to Me
Our business is named after the tree I love.
Twelve years ago, when Daren and I were just getting started, we bought a tiny ginkgo sapling from the Eden Project in Cornwall. It was so small and fragile that it lived in our bath for months while we worked out where it would thrive.
(As any gardener knows, “finding the right spot” is never as simple as it sounds.)
Eventually we planted it, and over the years we’ve watched it put down roots, unfurl leaves, and establish itself — steady, resilient, quietly growing. In many ways, its journey has mirrored our own: small beginnings, careful tending, and a long view of the future.
Perhaps that’s why visiting that older Greenwich Park ginkgo struck a chord this week. One tree reminding me of another — and both reminding me of what matters.
A Moment to Reflect Before the New Year
The days around Christmas are some of the only ones in the year when life naturally slows. It’s a perfect time to pause and consider the big decisions — the ones that, once made, clear the branches and give you the clean slate you’ve been longing for.
In gardening, those decisions might be removing the plant that never quite thrived, pruning back what’s overshadowing the rest, or preparing the soil for what comes next.
In financial planning, they’re often similar in spirit: simplifying what’s become overgrown, letting go of things you’ve outgrown, making space for the future you want to cultivate.
Like the ginkgo, sometimes we hold on until suddenly — we know it’s time. And once we release what’s been weighing on us, the view becomes clearer, calmer, lighter.
Wish for Your New Year
As we approach the new year, I hope you can give yourself a moment to stand still — just as I did in Greenwich Park — and take in the beauty of a fresh start. That deep breath of clarity after a decision finally made, that quiet sense of relief, that gentle confidence that comes when you know you’re ready for what’s next.
And may the coming year bring steady growth, strong roots, and the kind of clarity that comes when you’re ready for what’s next.
If you’ve been thinking about making one of those big decisions — the kind that clears the branches — we’re here when you’re ready to talk it through.
Debra Blundell, Head of Marketing, Co-founder
