'Musa Basjoo' Cold Hardy Banana Tree

ℹLove the look of lush tropical foliage? There is a plant that can totally transform your garden landscape into a bit of the Hawaiian tropics! Even if your winters tend to be less than balmy. Musa Basjoo are cold hardy banana plants that grow well and over winter up to plant hardiness zone 4 !!! With lush green tropical leaves as big as 2 feet long, Musa Basjoo Cold Hardy Banana are not only beautiful in the home or landscape. The real treasure is being able to use the leaves for cooking and serving up amazing, colorful and flavorful dishes, that will wow your family and guests, and impart beautiful flavor into your cuisine! The hardy banana tree is actually an herbaceous perennial (the world’s largest!) despite being referred to as a tree. What looks like a trunk is actually tightly bound banana tree leaves. This “trunk” is botanically referred to as pseudo stem, which means false stem. The interior of the banana tree pseudo stem is where all the growth of the plant takes place, similar to a canna lily. The clump will spread slowly or you can speed the process by dividing clumps with a spade shovel, to create your own little banana tree grove! These hardy banana tree species have been grown in the Ryukyu Island of Japan since the 13th century and the fiber from the shoots are used in the weaving of textiles or even to make paper. For ornamental purposes, however, the hardy banana is lovely combined with bright colored perennials or other sub tropical plants. Although this native banana will produce fruit if kept indoors, they are not extensively hybridized so contain a high seed to flesh ratio. The leaves are more prized for there versatility in cooking and serving food. Banana trees winter care is simple. Once the first frost hits, the hardy banana will die back. To over winter your hardy banana, prior to first frost, cut back stems and leaves, leaving 12-24 inches above ground. The hardy banana will then need good heavy mulch piled over the top of the remaining crown. Sometimes, depending on the size of your banana tree, this pile of mulch may be several feet high. For ease of removal the following spring, make a chicken wire cage to lay over the crown prior to mulching. Hardy banana trees can also be container planted, which can then be moved to a frost free area.

Click here to view our Cook And Serve Food With Banana Leaves blog.