Hardy Bananas
I'd like to hear from folks with experience growing bananas out of doors here
in USDA Zone 9 or similar climate (hot, dry summers, cool, wet winters with
occasional frosts, and a hard freeze every 5-10 years). I understand that
most of the banana plants I see in folks' yards here in the Central Valley
are of the "Orinoco" variety, and they usually look pretty ugly in the winter
and probably freeze down to the ground in a particularly bad winter. I have
just a couple or ornamental varieties in large terracotta pots on a covered
patio, but I'd like to try one or more of the hardier types out in the
garden. Any suggestions of varieties, sources, cultivation tips? Thanks.
Kurt Mize
Stockton, California
USDA Zone 9
