nph

My second cold hardy question:

I live in north Dallas (hopefully) zone 8, some say 7B and some 8 don't really know which one it is, but regardless it can briefly in the night get down to 15-20F . Maybe we will be lucky this winter and stay above 20F but I doubt it.

Anyhow, what In have in the ground are:
Ice Cream (several so I plan to keep some in the ground and dig some up for storage in my garage)

Only have one of the following:
Dwarf Orinoco
Mona Lisa
Saba

Out of the ones above which do you suggest digging up for storage in the garage and which can I keep on the ground and hope they will come back in the spring even if the p-stem wont make it?

I actually had a Basjoo on the northern side of the house surviving last winter which was a record breaker (down to 13F) and it still survived with just some frost cloth wrapped around it in a few layers. That one is actually blooming right now! However a much bigger Basjoo on the southern side with real insulation wrapped around it right by the pool did not make it... Weird.

Any advice is highly appreciated since I only have one of each of these varieties I listed and I want to make sure I make the best decision possible.

Thanks

Randy4ut

If you are in 8a, every one of the ones on your list, except possibly the Mona Lisa could be left outside. But it depends on what you are wanting with your bananas. If strictly for ornamental purposes, then the Dwarf Orinoco, Saba, and Ice Cream should not have a problem coming back for you if you mulch them pretty well. The Mona Lisa I am not sure of. If you are hoping to get them to flower/fruit, then you may want to overwinter inside. This is just based on my experiences with them where I live in SE TN. (zone 7a/b)

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sandy0225

it sort of depends on how big they are too and how long they've been planted. If they're well established, many of those should probably make it if they're mulched. They would probably die down to the ground and come back if you pile lots of leaves or straw around the bases thickly and in a large area, like 5' diameter around each one.
If they're kind of small or you planted them recently, or if you want to keep the height on them for next year to try and bloom them, then you'll have to dig them up. Because if it does get down to 15 or so, you'll lose all your height.
I'm not sure on the hardiness of Mona Lisa, even the root. You might need to talk to someone else about that one. If in doubt, dig it out. Then if you have pups, next year plant them in two different places and bring one in and try the other outdoors to find out for sure. Then let the rest of us know...

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Sandy Burrell



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