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HardyTropicals PO. Box 183 Chimacum, WA 98325 360.531.0804

All of the plants offered from hardytropicals are gown on site.

All orders are handled from start to finish by one person and most often are shipped the same day.

The exception on shipping is we no longer ship plants out on Thursday because of the potential of prolonged shipping time

Hardy Bananas

Musa basjoo after second winter

Musa basjoo

Bananas for most are a symbol of the tropics, a desired effect for many people in their temperate gardens. The hardiness for some has been overstated. Our experience has led us to call it like this: if on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the hardiest so far) Musa basjoo is a solid 10, Musa sikkimensis would get a 8.5 and Musaella lasiocarpa a 6.5 or 7. Musa sikkimensis needs a warmer area than Musa basjoo to leaf out in spring and Musaella lasiocarpa a even warmer area. A established Musa sikkimensis approaches the hardiness of M. basjoo but as a smaller plant does not come back if it gets cut to the ground by severe or extended cold spells.

Here is a short (click) example of banana clump in one growing season in the Northwest.

Musa basjoo

Wholesale prices are available to the trade only. Use the contact form to request access to the wholesale page

Musa basjoo ( the Japanese fiber banana) can be reliably grown in temperate gardens. I have feed back showing cases of having survived temperatures of 0 f without protection and -20 f with protection. Coming to cultivation in the west from Ryuku islands, off the south Japan coast, a mature Musa basjoo will grow 18-20 feet tall with leaves on the order of 2 feet wide and 6 feet long. A one-gallon Musa basjoo will grow to about 5 feet in the first year and produce many off sets (pups). A large clump reaching to 10 feet can be expected in the second year and mature height in the third. With plenty of food and water a Musa basjoo can produce a new leaf in 7-10 days. The six pack sale is back! Check out the On-Line sales page to order.

Prices: 1 gallon=$12.50, 3 gallon=30.00 5 gallon=45.00

Read about banana care by going to the care pages

Musa sikkimensis

This robust banana originates from east India and Bhutan. Growing fast to 15-18 feet with a pseudostem (trunk) up to 15 inches in diameter, and with waxy medium green leaves with red back sides. In the spring, red painting on some of the new leaves may be found. Our experience so far is M. sikkimensis is not as tough as M. basjoo and there is need for warmer days than M. basjoo to come out of dormancy. Appearing to grow much more prolific in warm areas or sited in warm microclimates in cooler gardens. Information coming out the hotter parts of the country we are hearing about better tolerance to intense heat than Musa basjoo. It is looking as if we can safely say as a mature plant the hardiness of M. sikkimensis and M. basjoo are comparable at this point in the evaluation. Having originally been found at 6000 feet in Darjeeling, hardiness was expected to be good. Care would be the same as for Musa basjoo. Only just a few 5 gallon left.

Prices: 1 gallon=$15.00

Read about banana care by going to the care pages

Musa itinerans

I only put a small amount of time into this banana now. It is just not very hardy at all, living as far north as we do the fuel to get them through the winter negates the time. I get fresh seed in the fall and have a small amount available in the spring

A final identity comes out of China and Finland. My first seed was harvested in the mountains of Yunan as Ensete glaucum, the snow banana . Seedlings rapidly produce offsets. Leaves are blue-green and more narrow than M. basjoo or M. sikkimensis, ending in a fine point. The rapidly growing trunk has a blue color. Collection site conditions suggest good hardiness. Information from warmer areas is suggesting the need to be grown in shade. We only get them to come back in the ground 1 in 5 years.

Price = $15.00

Read about banana care by going to the care pages

Musaella lasiocarpa

I only put a small amount of time into this banana relative now. It is just not very hardy at all (never have had one make it through winter in the ground). I grow about 200 a year is all.

A banana relative from Yunan. Growing to 5 feet with thick waxy blue-green leaves, Musella lasiocarpa is able to grow in windier sites than most bananas. A nice clump of vase-shaped trunks stained with pink grow the first year. Appearing in the second year, the up-to-6 inch-wide yellow flowers appear, erect rather than pendant, as with true bananas. Found at over 9000 feet, the Chinese yellow banana appears to be quite hardy, so far withstanding 10 f. In our area this is the last of the banana types to leaf out, it appears to need fairly high day and night temperatures to come out of dormancy. Care would be the same as for Musa basjoo.

Price= $15.00

Read about banana care by going to the care pages

Shipping

The first 1 gallon container is $10.00. Each additional container is $4.50 more. Use the contact page to inquire about larger pots shipping prices.

Bananas on Sale

8-19-08

Cool the dog days of summer with a six pack of Musa basjoo!

We are shipping the Musa basjoo six packs again.

You get 6 plants for 65.00 which includes shipping.

Get a jump start on spring, grow them indoors over the winter and plant out banana's as large as if you had ordered them in 5 gallon size