Banana Tree

Most bananas or tropicals will die quickly if planted during the winter season, however, there is a hardy banana tree available called the Japanese Fiber Banana (Musa basjoo). Typically, the top will die back during the winter, and the roots survive to grow again in the spring. The bananas have large, bright green leaves and are very easy to grow in the hot, humid summers if exposed to full sun, and lots of water.

The Ensete maurelli has reddish variegated foliage, undulate leaf margins and is very stout with a thick trunk. They have large paddle-shaped leaves, potentially to 15’ long with a contrast of red variegation and lush green foliage. They can reach up to 10’ to 20’ in height over time, however, they reach this size in our area as the shoots are cold, intolerant and roots are only hardy into USDA hardiness zone 9.