banana shrub ,how hardy?

took two banana shrubs to zone 10 this winter, put one out at my sons place,brought one back,don't know if i can safely put it out here in zone 7a or if i need to carry it back and plant it next winter on my place in zone 10. i don't want to leave it here if it has a chance of freezing next winter

Are you talking about a species of Michelia or an actual banana like Musa?

digger, I'm in zone 7b and the Michelia (banana shrub) does fine in this zone. You're 7a and it should work for you as well.

it isn't an actual banana, the blooms smell like banana. i had no idea it might be a michelia.i bought it because it had fragrant and beautiful flowers altho, it was in the magnolia family.i do have a champaca.i know it's a tropical. and bugme,at the id slot in front of your ans, it shows your in zone 8b. have no clue how to change that. but whatever, i really appreciate the fast response and this baby can stay here in georgia. by the way bugme ,if you have or know one of these pretties,how do you like it? is it evergreen?

Plant Files lists it as hardy to 8a, when I googled it there are some sites that list it as zone 7, so my guess is it's sort of borderline. If you've got a more sheltered area to plant it then it may make it, but I don't think it's guaranteed. This one is very closely related but a little hardier http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/60770/

They are evergreen, but if you have a winter that gets a bit too cold, it may drop some/all of its leaves.

thanks ecrane3 .i just joined today and don't know my way completely around this site.loved it b4 andam really enjoying it now for sure.i took your advice last year on leaving my champaca in the pot till spring and am now gonna put in bigger pot and carry it back to tex to put in ground early next march. it's doing just great now and has put on 5 leaves.thanks again all sally

digger, my zone is incorrect and I need to change it, however, I'm right on the edge.........7b to 8. Our's is evergreen and was a gift from a friend...............don't you love those? It is in the front of the house and has grown enormous, in fact, DH pruned the back of it since it was too close to the house. The smell is wonderful, like vanilla. It really has thrived on neglect being in the front of the house, I forget to feed/water it but it just "keeps on keepin on"!! I'll try to take a pic for you tomorrow.

bugme, mine's 16 " tall and got 9 bloom buds,i will plant on east side of house, next to entry steps. put my sons in an island i made in his front yard with a lot of tropicals.then i got home to my computer and saw a pic of one,big big,it'll sure nuff have to be moved.i'm going to have to get a camera to post pictures.got lot's to share sally

Now knowing that it is most likely a Michelia (some botanists have even lumped it in with Magnolia now) I agree that it should be fine in your area. We grow M. figo and M. skinneriana in Raleigh which is almost the same zone if not a bit colder. Occasionally we see some tip dieback and partial defoliation from cold damage but it's usually not that severe. It's definitely worth it for such a great plant with such wonderfully fragrant blooms.

pf78 you have me excited now. i bought this baby for a song. what do you think about rooting soft cuttings? iknow how,just dont know how easy they are to root.for me,magnolia is impossible,don't have any luck with seeds either,besides,cheaper to buy.what is that other ,M skinneriana? smell good ?fast grower" ?,common name"?

M. skinneriana is the one I linked to in my earlier post http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=4671475 which is very similar to M. figo but a bit hardier.

how did i miss that the first time?thanks again

digger, I'm sending a close-up of the banana shrub flower pods

digger9083, our "plant bible" (Manual of Woody Landscape Plants by Michael Dirr) says that "summer cuttings root 60 to 80% when treated with 3000 to 5000 KIBA". I have no idea where a layperson would get their hands on KIBA so you may just try some Rootone or another root stimulator.
btw- Dr. Dirr is from your neck of the woods (near Athens, GA) and his book is a great source of info for plants in our climate. Although at ~1200 pages, it's a hefty thing!

KIBA is the same or very similar to the active ingredient that's in most of the rooting hormone products you can buy. The only thing is if you buy a ready to use rooting hormone (vs one that you can dilute to various concentrations) you may have a lower concentration than what he's recommending.

i've used crushed willow stems and leaves(in a food processer) for a number of years and had great luck.i'll probably do that again.don't know what i do wrong, but havent had but about 15% luck with commercial powder.i'll keep an eye out for the kiba.know a coupla growers that can get it ,or will, for me .i'll check out the book,if it isnt too far over my head,want that too!