Musa Species, Darjeeling Banana, Hooker's Hardy Banana

I have grown 3 of these from seed that germinated last December. I planted 1 in a pot, and 2 in the ground, all 3 plants are fed, and wat...Read Moreered like my other Musa species, and cultivars. They seem at least for me to be a slower growing Musa, and they are all around only 3 feet in height from a full summers growth. This is much slower than my other bananas, both divisions, and tissue culture plants. They look good, but I am giving them a neutral rating because of slow growth, which might not be good for a more northern gardener with a short season.

Out of 10 seeds planted in the winter of 2010, one plant came up.
Last spring I put the plant in the ground and it was about 1 fo...Read Moreot tall then.
By Fall, it was about 7 foot tall and had large 3 foot leaves.
In late fall I cut the pseudostem back to about 4 foot, put a wire cage around it and filled it with leaves. I covered this whole thing with a teepee made of 4 mil plastic sheet and bamboo poles.
(I think it would be fine with much less protection, but I just wanted to be sure for its first winter in ground)

This Spring 2011 I uncovered in early April and the stem was still green 3 foot up. Right now at the end of March it has grown 1 1/2 feet already and has two large leaves and 4 pups that appeared at its base over winter.
The lowest temp here last winter was 10F with a handful of nights in the higher teens and a week or two total of nights in the 20's.

Musa Sikkimensis seems equally hardy as Musa Basjoo here in zone 8A of the Appalachian mountains.

I just received this plant from Agristarts so I can only give it a neutral until I actually experience growing in my gardens. According ...Read Moreto the seller, its zone hardiness 5-9. Sounds like a great cold weather tolerant banana plant. Its wind tolerant and needs full sun with no less than 30% shade. Foliage growers should use 30% to 60% shade. Soil requirements: need good water holding capability so I will use water sorb crystals in my planting hole. Mature height is 15'. ‘Sikkimensis’ is the same cultivar a hookerii according to the description on Agristarts.

15 seed bought from jungleseeds in UK, selected from plants with most red in the wild 6,000 feet up in the Himalayas. Soaked 5 days, sow...Read Moreed I think in April/May 2004, kept in sunny greenhouse to start, when got too hot moved to shaded greenhouse. 4 germinated mid July in cooler spell around 17C, another 4 germinated late September when cool. Compare the two lots in photo, 2nd lot slow to catch up. Kept in spare bedroom over winter 16 -18C, then cold greenhouse, and outside in summer. Cool summer 2005 they grew very well whereas musa basjoo hardly moved. Leaves also much broader, darker, stronger. 4 colour-ways in both lots, green top/light maroon flush back; green top/maroon midrib on back; some colour on top and back; very strong colour on top and back almost purple and covering most of the leaf. Sikkimensis also continues to grow through the winter inside, basjoo halts until spring. Yet to be tried outdoors, basjoo overwintered in a pot in my shed with south facing sunny window with 5 frosts to -5 and -6C, maintained stem, but was a little larger so may not risk sikkimensis this year, build an extension to the house instead! I grow in a very free draining mix of leafy compost, leaf/soil mix from our brick lined beck, and Irish moss peat, no extra fertiliser given so hardiness likely increased. Leaf colour starts to develop when plant stem around 9-12", and gets better the following season.