Our Banana Plant Varieties

Tropical Flare for Pots, Patios, Borders, & Yards

With new cultivars improving ornamental aesthetics, cold hardiness, disease resistances, and fruit-yield, we’re long overdue to talk about the tropical banana plant. We’ll discuss each variety in detail below, but let’s get the universal traits out of the way first:

  • Fast-growing: All Banana trees on this list grow extremely fast, some even reaching maturity in a single year. That means 3, 5, even 10 feet in the time it takes my snake plant to grow a new leaf!
  • Sun / Heat loving: While they can definitely grow well in shade, full sun will deliver the best results. Sun and heat helps keep moisture from sitting on the large leaves, which can lead to fungal issues. 
  • Watering: Must have well-draining soil, mound appropriately when planting in-ground. You should be watering nearly once a day after planting, but can reduce to just enough to keep the soil moist once established.
  • Fertilizer: Use a balanced (13-13-13) fertilizer in the spring, and a high-potassium fertilizer (The ‘K’ in N-P-K) in the summer.
  • Self-Pollinating: All edible banana plants can produce fruit by themselves, no second plant necessary. 

At our garden center, we stock a good mix of both Ornamental & edible banana plants. Ornamentals are the showier varieties, grown for striking foliage. Edibles typically have accented traits for fruit production. Whatever you choose, just know the Louisiana climate makes them easy to grow but difficult to harvest. Have reasonable expectations when choosing in-ground tropicals, where the occasional flower or even fruit is a happy surprise!

Ornamental Banana Plants

Red 'Maurelii'

(Ensete ventricosum ‘Maurelii’)

Our most popular ornamental banana, the Red Maurelii demands your attention by producing a fantastic gradient of colors on their foliage. Purples morph into subdued greens and vibrant reds, with each leaf being slightly different from the last. When mature, the red trunk begins to stand out as its own point of interest.

Growth: 12-15ft tall by 6-10ft wide
Cold Hardiness: 20-30 degrees

'Little Prince'

(Musa acuminata ‘Little Prince’)

Little prince is the perfect name for this beautiful, truly-dwarfed plant. Maxing out at just 2-3 ft tall, it can fit in almost any container. Easily bring it inside for cold protection, or just keep it indoors year-round for a beautiful addition to your plant shelf. The foliage of little prince is mostly a classic green, but you’ll see blotchy dark-reds appear as it matures, more-so when getting enough sunlight.

Growth: 24-30 in tall, similar width
Cold Hardiness: 30-40 degrees

Edible Banana Plants

Banana Plant (Classic)

(Musa acuminata)

The classic banana plant we all know and love! Under the right conditions, these plants can get MASSIVE. You won’t get much color, but there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a green leaf when it’s 3 ft long! The fruit has a sweet taste, ready to eat right after ripening. However, Louisiana gardeners may have trouble due to our typical winter temperatures. Be happy with the plant alone, but be ecstatic if you’re lucky enough to eat some of its fruit!

Growth: 12-20 ft tall, 8-15 ft wide
Cold Hardiness: 40 degrees

Double Mahoi

(Musa hybrid)

Named after its ability to produce two large heads of fruit in its second fruiting cycle. Double Mahoi is a mutation of the Dwarf Cavendish banana. Although its cold hardiness leaves some to be desired, the plant matures at only 6-8 ft tall. This means you can easily grow Double Mahoi in a container, and bring it inside for any cold-snaps. With a bit of planning, you’ll have better chances than ever of home-grown bananas.

Growth: 6-8 ft tall, similar width
Cold Hardiness: 30-40 degrees

Grouping of banana fruit heads having just been harvested

Grand Nain

(Musa acuminata ‘Grand Nain’)

Another highly-productive banana plant, the Grand Nain is notable for its cold-hardiness, disease resistances, wind resistance, and manageable size. It’s also among the most sought after family of fruits, the ‘Cavendish’ group (same as Chiquita bananas). You’ll see these banana plants grown in containers or in-ground, and with great success in Louisiana!

Growth: 6-8 ft tall, 8-10 ft wide
Cold Hardiness: 15-20 degrees

large banana plant with a head of fruit hanging

Blue Java

(Musa acuminata x balbisiana ‘Blue Java’)

Blue Java is a new selection at Louisiana Nursery, and we’re super excited! The name comes from it’s “vanilla ice cream flavored” fruit, and silvery-banana peels. However, the trait most important to us is a cold hardiness of 10-20 degrees! This is a game changer, as  Louisiana gardeners may just finally get a consistent fruit even when planted in-ground. If easy-growing and ice-cream flavored bananas sounds good to you, give Blue Java a try!

Growth: 12-18 ft tall, 10-12 ft wide
Cold Hardiness: 10-20 degrees

Blue Java Banana Plant, closeup of the blue fruit

Dwarf Sumatrana

(Musa hybrid)

A mix between the Grand Nain ‘Chiquita’ banana and the ornamental Zebrina. Dwarf Sumatrana has excellent tasting, jungle-style fruit and a truly striking variegation of maroons and green. Sun-loving, fast-growing, all-around perfect choice for a Louisiana gardener. Even if this banana never made a fruit, you won’t regret seeing it in the yard.

Growth: 7-10 ft tall, similar width
Cold Hardiness: 30-40 degrees

Cutting Back After Winter

Even with a good cold hardiness, banana plants can easily be damaged by cold-snaps. Once freezing temperatures have passed, survey your plant for yellow, mushy, dead-portions of the plant. Many gardeners – especially those who aren’t looking for fruit production – will chop the banana plant all the way down to the ground come March. Unless that is your preference, you can easily keep some of that progress by cutting just above the dead portions of the “trunk”. If still alive, a new banana leaf will form in the center of the trunk, starting the process all over. 

Banana fruit head being harvested

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