Tropicallvr

I haven't seen one of these yet on this forum so here goes from my experience(and things I have heard) in a cold northern Califonia zone 8a, but probally closer to zone 7b(walked on the frozen pond last winter).
1. Musa basjoo (Musa basjoo 'Sapporo' supposed to be hardiest)
2. Musa sikkimensis (many varities avaiable, hardiness may vary)
3. Mussela lasiocarpa
4. Musa 'Yunnan'(agri starts calls it simply Musa initerans)
5. Musa 'Nepal' available in Europe, as well as maybe Musa 'Tibet'
6. Musa 'Helens hybrid' (other sikkimensis hybrids may over winter well also)
7. Musa thompsonii (seemed hardy for me, but not for others)
8. Musa 'Bhutan' (some seedlings much hardier than others, and looked different)


The rest I'm not so sure about the order, but here goes any ways.
9. Musa veluntia
10. Musa violescens (waxy veluntia hybrid)
11. Musa orinico (spelled wrong)
12. Musa ornata (from seed)
13. Musa ornata 'Royal Purple'
14. Musa cheesmanii
Feel free to add or rearrange this temporary list from your experience. I probally forgot or haven't tried a few others(M. manni, M. brazilian, ect)
What has been your experience?

D_&_T

would like to test few of the Musa sikkimensis varieties our way!
as our ground can and has froze to 4 foot in depth here
been outside in freezing weather when hot chocolate froze on my mustache in about 6 seconds

Dan

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bigdog

I'm in zone 7a, and saw 8F last winter for my absolute minimum low in my yard (12F was the official low for Knoxville I think) last year.

Both Musa cheesmani (covered with a bag of leaves) and Musa 'Royal Purple' (just a little extra mulch) came back for me here.
Orinoco came back, right against the west side of the house.
Musa velutina is very variable (I've killed it bunches of times!), but I think Randy has the best, most cold-hardy variety I've seen yet (and the largest).
Musa sp. 'Yunnan' came back in March!

From what I've seen in Anniston (zone 8a):
Musa balbisiana is pretty hardy (the form that he has anyway).
The Musa itinerans variety he has down there (suspected to be var. guangdongensis) is very hardy, with the pseudostems not freezing down to the ground.
Musa mannii comes back in February down there! It will bloom there also.
Musa coccinea returns, but doesn't bloom (yet anyway).

He has others that shouldn't survive, but do anyway (Dwarf Cavendish, a plant that looks just like Jamaican Red, a wild Musa acuminata, etc.), so I don't know if that's a fair observation or not. It is a nice microclimate there at the museum.

redflash

Hi,
is Musa buthan not the same as Musa thomsonii?

Musa nepal is here called Musa yangtse!

Have everyone heard about Musa velutina green form?

Sorry my bad englisch........

bigdog

No, Musa 'Bhutan' is definitely not the same as M. thomsonii. What is this M. velutina 'Green Form' you are referring to? Is it a green flower?

Tropicallvr

Hey Redflash,
The Musa Bhutan was actually sold as Musa paradisica seminifera, and it was thought to be Musa thompsonii at first, but the seeds were slightly different, and the plants are definatly different.

Musa Bhutan - Musa 'Bhutan'
I wish there was some M. nepal available over here!
Please tell us more about the green velutina (pictures please)

redflash

Hi,
I think I have a Musa paradisica seminifera!
I got it from Itlay. The musa shold get big sweet fruits.
Here a picture:http://s152.photobucket.com/albums/s...nbekannt-2.jpg

Musa nepal/yangtse is here in Europe very rare.

About musa velutina I can´t say anythink, I only knwo who you can buy seeds.......

Here some pictures from my garden:
http://s152.photobucket.com/albums/s...sh2007/garten/

Andreas

AllenF

There is a banana with a similar growth habit to M. velutina. It's fruit remains green on maturity and splits open like M. velutina. It is named Musa hirta. I don't have any additional information on this plant other than it is native to Borneo and is in the Callimusa section rather than the rhodochlamys section, to which M. velutina belongs.

Allen

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You don't have to be crazy to grow Bananas in Alberta, but it helps

Tropicallvr

Nice album redflash. You've got some really nice plants, especially the Musa sikkimensis 'Red Flash' varigated. Did you grow it from seed?
I noticed that a couple of your other plain(without red marks) Musa sikkimensis looks like a hybrid. It has alot of wax, and the where the petioles meets the leaf they are recurved. Maybe Daj Giant or thompsonii hybrid?
What Musa is the third picture? Looks alot like Thompsonii.

redflash

Hi,
yes the sikkimensis variegata I have grown from seeds.
The third picture is a Musa itinerans, I had written the wrong name (sikkimensis).

Andreas

Mustang

Hi Andreas. Very nice photo of your garden plants. The one I was particularly interested in was the sikkimensis white tiger. Now where did you manage to get that from? It's very very nice! Does it pup?

redflash

Hi,
thanks,
it was a pure chance!
I have seed out(?) 100 seeds of sikkimensis red flash,
and one get variegated.
Now it`s 1,5 years old, and make one small banana plant.
I`ll hope i get more!
Sorry about my bad englisch....

Andreas

Mustang

I've seen a few white variegated sikkis now, so they do appear from time to time. I've just never managed to get hold one one for myself

And your English is fine Andreas.

Tropicallvr

Hi Andreas,
I was refering to the Musa sikkimensis farther down the page.
Here's the one I was talking about, hope you don't mind me posting it-


Is this also Musa initerans mislabled?

redflash

Hi,
its okay. Yes it is musa initerans, very waxy.

Andreas

bikoro child

Hi! I would simply say: Wunderschoen!! It ' s a very beautiful garden and you probably have some difficulties with place in your location...Where do you find all that species in Germany?

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Ivan

redflash

Hi,
here in Karlsruhe with the climate its good. It`s the warmest city in Germany,
in winter we have temperatures with the minimun of -12C. in the night. The most Musas I have grown of seeds, and some bought in internetshops.
Andreas

bikoro child

Cities like München or Nürnberg are more cold than yours?I live in a place which is like your for the winter temperatures but all the year long they are quite high...Do you breed some bananas in earth?

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Ivan

wamstick

Hi Redflash, your garten is wonderful. Take care of those bananas now.

Tony

redflash

Hello,
München and Nürnberg you can´t compare with Karlsruhe.
I´have successfully plant out the following bananas:
M. Basjoo
M. Sikkimensis
M. Balbisana

This year the first winter plant out :
M. velutina
M. initerans
M. nagensium
M. cheesemanii ( I think it s the same as nagensium)

Next winter when my Musa ice cream, Musa rajapuri and M. buffalo horn are big enough I´ll plant them out in my glasshouse (minimum temperature -4/-5C in extreme cold nights).

Andreas