If you’re going for a tropical vibe nothing screams tropics more than banana trees.  These lush, fast growing trees love the sun and heat of summer.   Their long, wide, paddle like leaves unfurl from the center of the tree and grow upwards then eventually arch over to form the canopy of the tree.

It is not unusual for them to set flowers that grow into green bananas. The “hand” of bananas is not known to mature into edible fruit in our climate, but it is uniquely eye catching, a conversation starter and picture worthy.

The “Hand of Bananas”

It is best to plant them in well-draining soil in partial or full sun and leave enough space for your single plant to grow into a small grove. You can grow dwarf varieties in containers, but larger plants should be planted in the ground. Banana sap is a whitish liquid that can stain clothes and can be a mild irritant, so wear gloves when removing older leaves off the trunk.

We offer Basjoo, Ensete Maurelii, and Dwarf Bananas.

Basjoo can quickly reach an impressive 14 feet in height, with 6 foot long leaves with proper fertilization.  This variety is planted for it’s ornamental foliage, which adds an exotic tropical aura to your landscape and will survive winter temperatures as low as -10 degrees when properly protected.  Plant in areas protected from the wind to prevent damaging the large leaves.  This is a must-have banana tree!

Ensete Maurelii is a fast-growing banana plant with an upright growth habit reaching up to 6’ -12’ tall.  The leaves are a combination of deep red and dark green colors creating a striking plant in your landscape.  It needs full or partial sun to grow well, requires plenty of water during dry periods and it is not winter hardy for our area.  Most people plant in a large pot and overwinter inside or treat it as an annual for its 7 to 8 month growing season in our area.  This is a very showy banana tree.

Dwarf Bananas may be short in stature but are long on cuteness and give that tropical vibe in containers or in your landscape.  They are perfect as a “thriller” for larger containers.  Like taller species they produce new shoots that grow into additional trees.  They like full to partial sun and create another lush tropical layer when mixed with taller banana varieties.