In the tropics, bananas thrive everywhere. They enrich the range of fruits worldwide with over 100 different varieties. Some banana plants add zest to your own garden. We'll tell you what you need.
Which banana plants are suitable for the garden?
To grow banana plants in your own garden, frost-hardy varieties such as Musa basjoo, Musa balbisiana or Musa sikkimensis are suitable. The plants require plenty of sun, warmth and moisture and can overwinter outdoors in temperate climates with frost protection.
Impressive dimensions in our region
In their homeland, banana trees reach considerable heights of up to 8 meters. They do not reach these heights in our region, but bananas in the home garden produce flowers up to 100 centimeters long. If the climatic conditions are favorable and the location is suitable, they will also produce fruit. When fully ripe, these are edible.
Suitable varieties and their growth heights
The Musa basjoo type of banana is best. In Germany, sales offer the Sakhalin and Nana varieties. These are particularly resilient. In addition, the following Asian outdoor bananas from high mountain regions thrive wonderfully:
- Musa balbisiana (Japanese fiber banana; maximum 3 meters)
- Musa cheesmanii (Cheesman Banana; 3 to 4 meters)
- Musa itinerans (2.5 to 3 meters)
- Musa sikkimensis (Darjeeling banana; 3.5 to 5 meters)
- Musa yunnanensis (Wild forest banana, 3 to 5 meters)
Fit through the winter
In temperate areas of Germany you can overwinter these bananas outside. Primarily in wine-growing regions, banana plants spend the winter outside with the help of special frost protection.
Tips for frost protection:
- Cover the root ball with a thick layer of leaves (at least 40 centimeters thick). This protection should be put on before the first frost. It remains in place until after the last night frosts in spring.
- Keeping banana trees in containers is suitable for cold regions. So you can easily overwinter them in the winter garden or in a frost-protected greenhouse.
Tips & Tricks
With species-appropriate care and a consistently warm place, the banana will surprise you with its wonderful blossoms. Harvesting sweet fruits is also possible. However, there are no frost-hardy fruit bananas yet.
