bigdog

Keep in mind that this clump has never bloomed, but this is in zone 8a in Anniston, AL at the museum. It has been there for several years, in a very good microclimate (up against a south-facing wall).

Steve L

I agree. I've grown this ornamental for 5 years and it has bloomed every year for me. Some years it blooms better than others; depending how bad it gets knocked down to the ground during the winter. Two winters ago, it bloomed all winter when we only dropped to freezing one time in January. It's blooming right now and is in my opinion, the best looking ornamental banana there is. I like it.

Steve

Lagniappe

Steve , do you have pics ?

Steve L

Yes, in my gallery.

Steve

bigdog

Seeing it in Anniston has made me want to try it again. I had it in the ground in Nashville, but dug it up for the winter because it was still very small. Not a good idea...the little corm dessicated to nothing! Even if it never flowered here (which it probably never would), it is still an attractive plant with its slender pseudostems and long, narrow leaves. Does well in shade also.

Lagniappe

Thanks ,
These have a wild sort of ginger/heliconia flower don't they ? I have two very small plants potted up to bring in and I would really like to get a mat going that would bloom regularly .

Steve L

Yes, I also think the bloom looks like a heliconia bloom. And as bigdog said, it will grow nicely and bloom in some shade. The cut bloom lasts a long time in an arrangement also.

Steve

Tropicallvr

I'm thinking that 8a in northern California is a whole nother ball game than in Anniston. Nor Cal get's so much cold winter rain that alot of the 40 that are growing there in Anniston wouldn't stand a chance.
My coccinea crapped out rather easyily in a green house in 8a, maybe over watered?

bigdog

Kyle, you'd be amazed at what he has growing there. Even Dwarf Cavendish comes back for him! It just blows my mind what he can grow, just a little over 3 hours away.

I think if one applies the same principle to growing bananas from seed as one would growing palms from seeds, i.e. starting a whole bunch of them, test them outside, and weed out the weak and non-hardy individuals, you're bound to come up with one that's just a bit hardier than the others. As long as people keep trying tissue cultured bananas, they will probably get the same results because it's the same clone. It's nice to get some genetic variability going, and you never know what you might have from seed. Could be the next best banana! Of course, I'm not directing that at you, Kyle! You are the banana seed master!

I'm tempted to buy 100 Musa coccinea seeds and try them again.

Tropicallvr

Thanks for the props Frank.
Your definatly the cold winter banana storage master/originater. Are you going to do some bare root storage like you have in previous years, or just leave them in ground this year?

Eric-Orlando,FL

I thought this was known as Musa uranoscopus but Kew has M. coccinea as the accepted name. Here are some pics of the inflorescences

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Eric
Orlando,FL z9b/10a

bigdog

Nice pics, Eric! Good-looking plants there.

Kyle, I'm storing fewer this year than in previous years, only because I'm tired of lugging them into my crawl space. If I had a basement, it might be a different story. I'm trying to eventually go to all dwarfs. Easier on the back! Thanks. By no means am I the originator though! People have been doing it for many years before I was born.

Lagniappe

Musa Coccinea survived for me in Zone 8a ! I have one in the greenhouse with a flag...couldn't be more exited. While still fired up over my flag. I went to check the outdoor ones and they were popping up all over(this one makes a lot of pups, doesn't it? I believe more than my velutina.)

cherokee_greg

I have this banana I bought at Lowes for 10.00 the tag says Musa Coccinea Do these produce bananas ? I know nothing about it except its a banana and it was cheap.


thanks

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Greg zone 9 Fresno,CA
http://gardenjot.com/garden/view/1980/Gregs-Banana-Farm

Steve L

Musa Coccinea is an ornamental and a very nice one. It's my favorite of the ornamentals. However, yours in the picture does not look like Coccinea which is a solid green banana with a relatively thin pseudostem.

Steve

cherokee_greg

Thats what I thought mine looks diffrent. Maybe they marked it wrong I will check it again. Maybe thats why I got it for 10.00 ?

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Greg zone 9 Fresno,CA
http://gardenjot.com/garden/view/1980/Gregs-Banana-Farm

Steve L

I've never seen them at Lowes or any of the box stores here in Louisiana and we get a lot of varieties. It's not an easy to find banana. I've grown it for 6 years in my Zone 9, Gulf Coast area and given it away to several friends in my area. They've been totally unsuccessful in getting it through the winter. I have a friend in Culver City, CA who has tried for many years to grow this banana and also been unsuccessful. So the hardiness of this particular one may be suspect. Mine is coming into bloom right now but only one pseudostem. It's late this year. I've had as many as a dozen inflos and as few as one in previous years. Looks like this will be a slack year.

Steve

sandy0225

your coccinea looks like an ensete maurelii that's been growing in too much sun. Mine in the pool greenhouse looks like that right now.

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Sandy Burrell



Northern Tropics Greenhouse
1501 East Fuson Road
Muncie, IN 47302
www.northerntropics.com


specializing in bananas, heirloom tomatoes and water gardening plants~
check out our new online store at our website!

cherokee_greg

is the sun not good for them ?

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Greg zone 9 Fresno,CA
http://gardenjot.com/garden/view/1980/Gregs-Banana-Farm