Ensete maurelii

(Red Abessinian Banana)

This is a gigantic decorating banana with up to 10 feet long leaves. The deep red color of the young leaves fades if the leaves get older, but the red color is very flashy. This banana doesn't sucker, is to propagate by seed or tissue culture. It forms suckers however in exceptions at destruction of the vegetation point such as after frost influence. It grows fast and seldom flowers in northern climates.

Its hardiness, however, is amazing, a plant of this species has survived the extreme winter 2001/02 in Bückeburg near Hannover in Germany with an only 20 liters bark mulch as cover at 4°F minimum temperature, and then came back in May 2002, at first with one and half new leaves, then the growth broke off, and after some weeks even 16 suckers were formed! The plant grown very strong, as its owner told me.

If this species is overwintered in mild areas with very good winter protection (approximately as of USDA zone 8) with rain protection (the mulch layer must be kept dry in any case) outdoors, you could have success.

Otherwise you should overwinter this species by means of wire bag method, digging up so the plant in fall, cutting the leaves off (do not cut the pseudotrunk back otherwise the plant will not survive), overwinter then the plant completely dry at 40°F frostfree (may overwinter dark), the plant then outplant in May again, it will then resprout again.