Alphabetical Plant Listing

Musa ornata (Flowering Banana)

Flowering Banana, Ornamental Banana


Adding an exotic splash to gardens and containers, award-winning Musa ornata (Flowering Banana) is a robust, suckering evergreen perennial boasting huge, paddle-shaped,  blue-green leaves, up to 6 ft. long (180 cm). Erect spikes of orange-yellow flowers adorned with showy pink bracts appear seasonally on mature plants (2-3 years old). They are followed by greenish-yellow fruits that contain numerous black seeds and creamy white flesh. While edible, these bananas are so seedy that they are not worth the trouble to eat. The leaf sheathes overlap to form a trunk-like pseudostem. Each pseudostem has a limited lifespan. It only lives as long as it takes it to flower and produce fruit. After flowering and fruiting, the pseudostem dies, but the roots push out new shoots (banana pups) which form new pseudostems. One of the best of the ornamental bananas, this banana species can be massed or grown as a specimen in the ground or in a container.

  • Recipient of the prestigious Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society.
  • Grows up to 6-9 ft. tall (180-270 cm) and 5-7 ft. wide (150-210 cm).
  • Performs best in full sun in humus-rich, well-drained soils. Best growth occurs with consistently moist soils that do not dry out. Banana trees do not do well in drought conditions since they need to be watered often for proper growth. Shelter from the wind to prevent the leaves from being damaged. Fertilize plants regularly during the growing season.
  • Great choice for wall-side borders, coastal gardens or Mediterranean gardens where it will proudly stand out.
  • Disease free. Keep an eye out for glasshouse red spider mite, mealybugs and aphids.
  • Propagate by seed, separate suckers or by division.
  • Native to Northern India.

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Requirements

Hardiness 9 – 11
Heat Zones 10 – 11
Plant Type Perennials
Plant Family Musa - Bananas
Exposure Full Sun
Season of Interest Spring (Early,Mid,Late)
Summer (Early,Mid,Late)
Fall
Winter
Height 6' – 9' (180cm – 270cm)
Spread 5' – 7' (150cm – 210cm)
Spacing 60" – 84" (150cm – 210cm)
Water Needs Average
Maintenance High
Soil Type Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil pH Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage Moist but Well-Drained, Well-Drained
Characteristics Plant of Merit, Showy, Evergreen, Fruit & Berries
Garden Uses Wall-Side Borders
Garden Styles Coastal Garden, Mediterranean Garden

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By Umpornmaha, Pisitpong2017, Shutterstock

While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.


Requirements

Hardiness 9 – 11
Heat Zones 10 – 11
Plant Type Perennials
Plant Family Musa - Bananas
Exposure Full Sun
Season of Interest Spring (Early,Mid,Late)
Summer (Early,Mid,Late)
Fall
Winter
Height 6' – 9' (180cm – 270cm)
Spread 5' – 7' (150cm – 210cm)
Spacing 60" – 84" (150cm – 210cm)
Water Needs Average
Maintenance High
Soil Type Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil pH Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage Moist but Well-Drained, Well-Drained
Characteristics Plant of Merit, Showy, Evergreen, Fruit & Berries
Garden Uses Wall-Side Borders
Garden Styles Coastal Garden, Mediterranean Garden

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