Grow Musa basjoo for a tropical look to your garden.

Cold Hardy Banana Plants, the Musa basjoo, grows from the Southern U.S. all the way to the southern part of Canada. A hardy Flowering Banana plant the Musa basjoo provides a tropical plant or jungle garden feel for pool landscapes, zen gardens and also makes an excellent container plant for porches, decks, patios and sunny areas of the house. 

Plant Musa basjoo in full sun for optimum growing habits, but this Cold Hardy Banana Plant will grow into partial shade. The yellow orange flowers will produce small ornamental fruits that are not edible. 

Once planted in the ground, expect your Musa basjoo banana to reach 15 to 18 feet in height while container grown banana plants generally reach an 8 to 10 foot height.  Plant in soil with good drainage and don't allow the soil to dry out. Expect to provide plenty of supplemental water during the growing season, yet they don't like damp or wet soil. During the growing season, apply a fertilizer with a high nitrogen content. 

The Cold Hardy Musa basjoo Plant, also known as the Japanese Fiber Banana, grows in zones 5 to 10. Once temperatures drop to below 32 degrees, cut off plant die back and mulch heavily for winter  protection in the ground. The containers holding outdoor Banana Plants should be insulated.