Musa basjoo in the glade at Keyingham.
Hardy bananas
The species of banana you are most likely to find at Bamboo Glade are musa basjoo, musa sikkimensis, and musella lasiocarpa. These are all to some degree root hardy, though likely to die back to ground level if unprotected through a frosty winter, reappearing in late spring.
Musa basjoo has been used in British gardens for many years, often as an unusual summer bedding plant, and is reputedly the hardiest of all the banana family. It is sometimes called the Japanese banana, but probably comes originally from China. Micropropagation has made this banana more widely available.
Successive leaves,increasing in size, are produced through the summer months, forming a pseudo stem which serves as the plant's trunk. This may be two metres tall by the autumn, and if protected from the coldest weather, may reach four metres or more in subsequent years. In the plant's fifth year flower and small inedible fruit may be produced. Female flowers are produced before the male flowers, so two plants flowering at slightly different times would be needed to ensure viable seed.
The plant pictured here (in 2006) flowered in 2005, the flowering stem finally dying, to be replaced by these new stems. This plant is not wrapped up every winter, but is in a sheltered spot. Another fine example of musa basjoo in East Yorkshire can be seen at Bishop Burton College.
Musa sikkimensis in the glade
Musa sikkimensis is a much more recent introduction to English gardens. It grows up to four metres tall, and may be comparable to musa basjoo in terms of hardiness.
The leaves are often marked above, and coloured red on the underside, though the markings and coloration vary considerably from plant to plant, and may also be affected by growing conditions and the maturity of the plant.
The plants are easily propagated from fresh seed, which is sometimes marketed as two different strains, green tiger and red tiger, the latter being collected close to the Burmese border from plants more richly endowed with red variegation.
It has also been suggested that, whereas the roots of both variants should survive the British winter, to sprout afresh next spring, the top growth of the greener plant is more likely to survive.
The picture on the left shows this year's regrowth (2007) of one of the sikkimensis plants in the glade which was left unprotected over last winter, losing its original pseudostem.
More cautious growers, and those in colder regions, will wrap their plants, or otherwise protect them from frost, to be sure of their survival.
Musella lasiocarpa in the glade
Musella lasiocarpa
is now listed in the Royal Horticultural Society Plant Finder as
Musa lasiocarpa and is a fascinating banana - or banana relative - which could be another candidate for the tropical-looking garden.
We have grown it in the glade, where it stood in a large pot throughout a mild winter, and even flowered magnificently. It can be difficult to propagate, as the numerous suckers it produces cling tightly to the base of the parent pseudostem and cannot easily be removed without damaging the parent or slicing off the basal true stem of the sucker. The easiest technique is to wait until after flowering, when the whole plant can be broken up.
Musella lasiocarpa makes an impressive specimen plant in a large pot for the patio, conservatory or garden. Its amazing flower lasts for many months - up to a year - and inspires awe in visitors unfamiliar with the plant.
Other banana species we occasionally have are Ensete glaucum and Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii", but these are both tender.
