Other Names:  Basjoo Banana Tree, Hardy Banana, Hardy Fiber Banana, Japanese Banana, Japanese Fiber Banana, Sichuan Hardy Banana

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Native to the Ryuku Islands near Japan, Musa basjoo, which we call the Japanese Hardy Banana, is one of, if not the most cold-hardy banana plants in the world. It can be grown outdoors in the ground year-round, where winter low temperatures can go as low as -10F, which is as far north as New England and Ontario, Canada! We've had one growing by the garden pond in our north-central Georgia gardens since 2010. Every year, after emerging from dormancy, it quickly forms an arching canopy of huge paddle-shaped leaves up to 6 feet long and 2 feet wide atop one or more trunks. It grows 6 to 14 feet tall and equally wide depending on the climate. The further south you go in its hardiness range of USDA Zones 5a-11, the taller it will be. Ours grows to about 10 feet tall every year before going dormant for winter. In Zones 9 and 10 its foliage stays green year round. Creamy yellow flowers might appear in summer followed by green, inedible fruits. The Japanese Hardy Banana provides an exotic and tropical aura to the landscape and will surely be a conversation piece.

Landscape & Garden Uses 

Depending on the climate, the Musa Basjoo Banana Tree grows 6 to 15 feet tall and equally as wide. The longer the warm season the larger it will grow. It is ideal for use as a specimen or in groupings in sunny landscape borders and garden beds. It is a fine accent near patios, decks, pools, and other outdoor sitting and living spaces. It can be grown in containers however is best positioned where high winds won't be a problem blowing it over. 

Suggested Spacing:  10 feet apart for plants to touch; 15 feet or more apart for space between plants

Musa Basjoo Hardy Banana Tree is very easy to grow in most any moist but well-drained soil of average fertility and full sun to part shade. When growing in containers, choose a pot with a drainage hole(s) and use a quality potting soil or potting mix or a 50/50 combination thereof. We never fertilize ours but do apply two inches of composted mulch around the plant once or twice a year. In colder climates, the plant will die back to the ground, re-emerging in spring and quickly growing to the same or larger size as it was the previous year.