This photograph shows off my Japanese fiber banana (Musa basjoo), the hardiest of the bananas, which is thriving in zone 6 here in Ohio. Some claim it is hardy in zone 5, or even zone 4, which includes northern New York and much of New England. While I can't confirm this, I can say that I have found it extremely easy to grow, and a great addition to the garden.
It's pictured here at the end of it's second season, and it consists of the original pseudostem (it's not a true trunk, since the banana is not a true tree) along with about 5 new ones that came up last summer and became fully developed this season.
I've removed and transplanted two of them in an attempt to propagate my banana. Shown in the photo below is a piece I removed, which includes the pseudostem, a new sucker, roots, and a chunk of underground stem called a corm. If you've grown gladiolus you've planted corms, which are much like bulbs, but formed from stem rather than leaf tissue.
While gladiolus corms are easily lifted, the banana corm is best divided with a very sharp shovel. It's essential to get a decent sized piece, as this is where energy is stored to get the plant started in the spring.
The photos below shows the non-hardy leaves and pseudostem after removal, and a wire cage filled with insulating leaves placed over the transplanted corm. Here in zone 6 it's important to protect the corm as much as possible in case we have a severe winter.
I've really enjoyed my banana plant, especially showing it off to visitors. It adds a wonderfully incongruous tropical feel to the garden. Growing something out of the ordinary adds excitement to the tasks of gardening, and I highly recommend trying at least a few new plants every year. (Research new plants first to make sure they are not invasive.) These could be new cultivars of old vegetable stand-bys, heirloom plants that you're curious about, or exotic outliers like the banana. Maybe grow a vegetable you think you don't like. I grew beets for greens and realized I love beetroots. I had only eaten store bought beets and never knew that delicious varieties existed.
Pictured below is the results of an inadvertent experiment when butternut squash seeds turned out to be something else. No matter: now I've got material for more experiments next year.
I approach each gardening season as a chance to experiment and observe the results. It's a lot more fun than just reading and following the advice in garden books. Sure, you need to learn the basics, but it's like cooking: the first time you make a dish you follow the recipe exactly. After that you can mess around and add your own flair. This is my long-winded way of saying gardening is an art form, and you will enjoy it greatly if you treat it as such.
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