Musa basjoo - Japanese Banana - Second Yr. Plant in 1.5 L Pot

Musa basjoo, originally thought to be native to the Ryukyu Islands of Japan, is now known to originate in Sichuan China. The Japanese cultivated it for fiber among other things. In Europe, including the Uk. it is often cultivated as an ornamental plant, with its magnificent huge leaves giving a spectacular architectural effect. Musa basjoo has been granted the RHS Award of Garden Merit. The foliage will only tolerate a few degrees of frost, however, the rhizomes are regarded as frost hardy down to around -15C to -20C and will rapidly sprout again in spring. In a good summer in the south of the UK., this species has been known to produce fruit, however even in its native China, the fruit is inedible with little flesh and many black seeds! As Musa are monocarpic, the fruit bearing stem will die off, worry not, many more will be arising from below the ground. It is virtually impossible to over feed or water this plant in the growing season. It is a "hungry" plant that can, in the middle of the summer, produce a new 3mtr. long leaf every week! A spectacular specimen plant for an exotic style garden. Either plant in the ground, or in a large pot, using a quality compost with controlled release fertiliser added, to ensure sufficient nutrients. We recommend Osmocote Pro 8-9 month applied in spring. During the growing season keep constantly moist and place in a sunny location but with some shade from strong summer sun and protection from harsh winds. The two images with blue sky were taken by the author at RHS Wisley in early October 2024! Please note. These plants have been cut back for winter to produce a mature robust plant. We keep them in a frost protected greenhouse, so they will come with at least one new leaf.

This listing is for plants in their second year, which will produce offshoots this year giving a bigger more impressive display sooner than younger 9cm size plants.