Banana plants permanently in German gardens - impossible?! However, with the Japanese Fiber Banana (Musa basjoo) it is possible. This plant is not native to the tropics, but to the Japanese island of Ryukyu, where snow and cold in winter are quite familiar. If you want to plant the Japanese Fiber Banana into the garden instead of keaping it in a flowerpot (which works fine as well!) you should do this in spring, when the soil has dried from winterly wetnes and warmed up. A well draining, loose soil rich in nutrient is of great importance. This means the soil should be rich in humus but poor in clay. Also, it should be meliorated with gravel or sand. A partly shady place with high humidity is ideal. If placed in a sunny place the Japanese Fiber Banana requires a permanently moist soil. In order to avoid that the leaves are ripped you should best choose a wind protected place. Well-rooted plants can easily reach a height from 2 up to 3.5 m within only one summer. Over the years, new saplings will grow from the roots and form an imposing thicket or even a little ‘banana forrest’. For this reason, they are often planted as a ‘tropical island in the lawn’. In Autumn, leaves will turn yellow and limp when the temperature goes down. Shortly before permafrost, you should cut the leaves off and cut the stem in a height of 50 - 80 cm. It will rot in winter and become pulpy. If you cut the stem just above the ground, putrescense could easily intrude into the roots. Knock four poles into the ground around the plant and surround them with wire netting. Fill this ‘cage’ losely (!) with 80cm of dry leaves and cover it with a perforated foil or with a bass. Leave the sides open to provide sufficient aeration and drying. Complete wrapping in foil would cause the plant to rot. As for the frost tenderness, there are various informations from all over the world. In the USA, Musa basjoo is categorised into zones 5 to 6, or zone 8 if unprotected. Since winter is not only defined by cold, but also by humidity, changing of temperature by the sun, and a lot more, we consider a categorisation into zone 7 as a good scale for Middle- and North European. In Spring, towards the end of frost period,  remove the winter protection and spread some mature compost as fertiliser around the plants. Japanese Fiber Bananas will soon grow new saplings from the roots that will form a tropical eye-catcher in any garden, likewise when planted in containers, decorating your patio / balcony from Spring to Autumn or your winter garden all year round. Quality: hardy banana for planting into the garden, exotic-tropical look with large banana leaves; robust and easy to care Use: planted permanently into the garden (with winter protection); in pots starting from April/ May outside on balcony & terrace; all year round in greenhouse

Family: Musaceae Origin: Japan Winter Hardiness Zone: 7-10 Minimum Temperature: 0 °C in pots, -20°C when planted and in your garden Average Temp. in Winter: 10 (±5)°C

Flower: green-yellow Fruit: bananas Form/Growth: perennial Height: 2-3,5 m Location: sun to semi-shade