M

Mahonia aquifolium    OREGON GRAPE    flowers    winter color    closeup of maroon winter color    characteristic orange older leaves    evergreen shrub to 5-6’ tall valued for glossy, divided, toothed leaves and short, narrow spikes of small yellow flowers massed at tops of stems in spring. Clusters of dark blue black berries follow. A bonus with all Mahonias is that a substantial fraction of the leaves turn hot orange, crimson, or red in fall. Great for part or full shade with little or no summer watering, frost hardy. An excellent accent plant in dry shade gardens. Pacific Coast. Berberidaceae.

‘Compacta’    foliage    like the standard form, but to only 2-3’, with a tighter, denser habit and larger, very dark green, leathery leaves. Spreads very slowly by stolons. Flowers and berries are not as showy. The leaves tend to have a dull finish and are somewhat narrow. This variety will eventually fill in to form dense banks of foliage. It is very good as a drought tolerant shade to half sun groundcover but it looks best with at least some summer water and it is a slow grower. rev 1/2010

'Dying Embers'   winter foliage    closeup   a seedling selection of ours, segregated out for its distinctive and stunning winter color. Mature leaves turn deep coppery red across the whole plant, with the oldes leaves becoming a brilliant fluorescent orange. This color remains even after new green growth pushes forth in spring. Typical showy yellow flowers in winter and spring add to the attraction. It is an upright, rather open grower to 4-5' tall and wide.  rev 1/2010 MBN INTRODUCTION-2010

'John Muir'    foliage closeup    flowers    a compact clumping selection, to about knee high, with better vigor, stronger bloom, and finer foliage than 'Compacta,' but lacking the stoloniferous, spreading habit. rev 1/2010

'Arthur Menzies' seedlings    parent plant   seedlings   this is a popular plant in the Pacific Northwest, considered a faster, larger form of M. lomariifolia. For us the seedlings, which we sell in lieu of the parent, have been bluer and much more compact. All produce stunning flowers, some tinting towards orange, followed by heavy crops of very attractive dark blue berries, and grow with somewhat variable leaves and habits but are essentially all copies of the parent. A cross of M. beali and lomariifolia done by Arthur Menzies of Strybing Arboretum in 1961. Part sun to mostly shade, quite drought tolerant when established. Sunset zones 5-9, 14-24/USDA zone 8.  rev 1/2010 

'Golden Abundance'    a fast, vigorous selection that has very large, bold, lustrous shiny leaves and dense terminal sprays of showy yellow flowers in spring and fall. Sets a good crop of berries. To 6’ or more. rev 1/2010

beali    CHINESE MAHONIA    at Quail Botanic Gardens    fall color on the leaves    a vastly underappreciated and underused foliage plant, mostly supplanted in past years by M. lomariifolia, which offers a slightly better flower show and still wonderful but different foliage. The leaves on this species are much larger (to 18"), with broader leaflets, fewer teeth. In cold or stressed conditions the leaves can become suffused with warm gold, orange, and red tones flushed across the glaucous, normally deep blue green surface. Showy central flower spikes are more relaxed than in M. lomariifolia, enhancing the more casual, interesting appearance of this species. They set a heavy crop of quite ornamental blue black berries. A top notch plant that makes a great foliage or focal point subject. Can take considerable shade or almost full sun. Average drainage, rather drought tolerant when established. China. rev 1/2010 

pinnata ‘Ken Hartman’    winter color    habit    a fast growing selection to at least 5' with relatively small, closely held leaves which are moderately glossy with an intricately stippled vein pattern. New growth is quite glossy and bronzy. Leaf margins have longer, thinner spines. Overall, this selection has a very lacy, delicate appearance. Has typical yellow flowers in spring.

Mandevilla  vines to scandent shrubs, related to Star Jasmine. All make great container plants. Great choices for a containers with some support. Take sun or part shade, like regular  watering. Protect from cold outside Sunset zones 21-24/USDA 10. Apocynaceae. rev 6/2011

SunParasol 'Crimson' PP 15539    flowers    a more vining Dipladenia type, with deep, true red flowers. Easily the best red yet. Leaves are smooth and very glossy. Still tender, but fast and with protection this should do well around the Bay Area and warmer climates. 
SunParasol 'Giant Crimson' PPAF  flowers  an improved red, larger than 'Crimson' but otherwise just as excellent. rev 7/2008 
SunParasol 'Pretty Crimson'  blooming   can you get any redder? A form with the same striking, intense red flowers but smaller, and with shorter internodes. This makes a superior container plant and doesn't need be grown with support if you trim off the young stems that reach up. If you want vine form, tie those runners up. rev 4/2010
'SunParasol Stars & Stripes'     striped flowers   red flowers with white stripes. An evergreen, vining shrub, growing 6-8' tall, and blooming until cold weather arrives. rev 7/2011

Matteucia orientalis  ASIAN OSTRICH FERN  at UC Berkeley Botanic Garden  reverse view   I spotted this wonderful fern growing in a naturalistic setting while I was wandering through the Asian section at UC Berkeley Botanic Garden. It mistook it for a native fern. It is quite attractive, being dark green, of moderate size (24-30" tall by 4-5' across),  with a neat, attractive, clean apearance, and broad, generous fronds. I finally found a source and I am glad to be able to offer a crop. This would make a good addition for any garden where you want to evoke a formal or woodland feeling. It is outstanding under trees or along streams, ponds, etc. as well as in containers. Under long day conditions it produces fertile fronds, blackish, narrow, spike-like things clustered in the center of the rosette, that are quite attractive and ornamental. This is a very frost hardy plant, deciduous for a couple of months in winter, emerging about mid March. It clusters but doesn't really run in our climates, gets larger and more imposing with age, and is just generally a very satisfying fern. This is a hot plant! This is a collector's item. I am guessing Sunset zones 4 (or lower)-9, 14-17, 21-24/USDA zone 7 or lower. Polypodiaceae.China, Japan. rev 9/2009

Maytenus boaria ‘Green Showers’    MAYTENS TREE    shopping center landscape    Pacific Grove    neat weeping evergreen tree to 30’ tall and wide. A clonal variety introduced by Saratoga Horticultural Research Foundation, it offers dense, bright green foliage. Unlike seedling crops, plantings of this uniform, cutting grown, clonal variety have a lush, uniform look in the landscape. Offered as single stem or multistem. Chile. Celastraceae.

Michelia crassipes    flowers and foliage    closeup    somewhat like M. figo, and sometimes listed as a variety of that species, with larger leaves that are much darker green and finely quilted with veins, and with much larger, open, creamy white flowers to 3" across that are showy but barely fragrant, having a faint lemony scent somewhat like that of Magnolia grandiflora. An open to eventually moderately dense spreading evergreen shrub to about 10-15' tall, blooming over a very long period. Sun to part shade, rich, moist soil, average to very infrequent summer watering. USDA zone 8, Sunset zones 5, 8-9, 14-24. China. Magnoliaceae. rev 6/2005

‘Port Wine’    a selection with darker maroon flowers. Doesn't seem to be quite as fragrant.

hybrid (figo x crassipes)   flower    another flower    another flower   foliage sample   this is a block of seedlings I created in a search for a fragrant Banana Shrub that doesn't get downy mildew. They are nice, they are pretty, they don't get downy mildew, but they aren't fragrant. So they have to go. Flowers are variable, but mostly like M. crassipes except for pink tinting. Another nice feature is that they continue blooming into summer, in repeat waves, whereas M. crassipes is sparser with repeat bloom. It is leafier and denser than M. crassipes, with glossier foliage, but with most of the dark stem and leaf indumentum. Estimated size 10-20'  tall by 6-10' wide. Sun to part shade, average to infrequent watering, frost to about 15F, possibly lower. MBN INTRODUCTION-2011  rev 6/2011

Microlepia strigosa    LACE FERN    soft, blue green fronds    nicest patch I know of, at Strybing Arboretum    a fast growing evergreen fern to 3’ tall, spreading slowly by underground runners. Triangular fronds are tripinnate (divided many times) with a soft, fine texture. While reportedly drought tolerant, this fern is best used in shade with average watering and fertilizing, where it can form large, lush, dense banks of soft blue green foliage highlighted by chartreuse frond margins and new growth. When well grown it looks so nice you just want to lay down and roll in it. Probably damaged below 25°F. Part shade to shade, average to little summer watering. Eastern Asia. Polypodiaceae. rev 10/2010

Miscanthus sinensis ‘Yaku Jima’    DWARF MAIDEN GRASS    deciduous grass to 3-4’ tall bears short, compact feathery flower spikes followed by curved seed heads. The flower stalks are held above the foliage in a very vertical manner, the seed heads are retained well into winter or the following spring. One of the main reasons this one is used is because of its small scale relative to many other varieties of Maiden Grass. Sun to part shade, average to little summer watering, frost hardy. Eastern Asia. Graminae/Poaceae.

'Cabaret'    foliage detail    bold creamy white vertical stripes. In its purest form it exhibits a broad central white stripe and only a very thin of green midrib, and thin green leaf margins. However this usually drifts to some degree, becoming a series of parallel lines, and eventually it transforms itself into 'Cosmopolitan' if you don't rogue out the reversions. Rather wide leaves to 1 1/2" across, vigorous growth to 6' or more. Leaves are moderately arching in habit. rev 8/2006
‘Cosmopolitan’    garden    full size    leaves    wall    a large scale, large textured variegated form, with leaves to over 11/2" across, 3' long, and growing to over 6' counting flower spikes. This plant can be used as a Phormium analogue in landscapes. The leaves tend to have variegated margins and usually show about 50% or more of their surface as white. rev 4/2005.
‘Morning Light’    nice clump    Frontierland    an interesting vertically variegated form, this one recognized by its ultra thin greyish leaves which have white leaf margins plus a central white stripe. The overall effect is of a frosty, light, almost grey green, wispy clump. To 4'.
'Yaku Jima'    clump    very dwarf, to about 24-36", very fine. rev 8/2005
‘Zebrinus’    foliage    the best horizontally variegated variety? Slower growing than ‘Strictus,’ but with a much more relaxed look and nicer color contrast. To about 4', with broad green leaves marked with pairs of creamy yellow slashes, somewhat like chevrons. This is a fantastic container plant, especially in burgundy, green or dark blue glazed pots. rev 4/2005

transmorissonensis    EVERGREEN MISCANTHUS    backlit, Mills Garden    forelit, Mills Garden    a moderate size, large textured clumping evergreen grass to 4’ tall, 5’ wide. Flower stalks reach 5-6’ tall, appear in late spring and last through summer. The flower/seed heads are rather robust and are held erect. Wide green leaves have a distinctive whitish central vein. This plant does a lot of what Pampas Grass does without actually being Pampas Grass. It doesn't get too big, has a nicer overall, shinier look, doesn't seed itself all over creation, and doesn't cut you like a knife when you get near it. But it is big and moves nicely in the wind. Surprisingly, Art Cameron of MSU informs me this plant is hardy and reliable in Michigan, resprouting readily from the roots after winter. Taiwan. rev 5/2005

Muhlenbergia    clumping perennial grasses, evergreen to facultatively deciduous, large scale. Mostly great ornamentals. Graminae/Poaceae. rev 6/2006

lindheimerii    TEXAS MUHLY, GULF COAST MUHLY    at Sierra Azul Nursery    at UC Berkeley    this is a Texan version of our own familiar Deer Grass, but with a wider, bluer grey leaf and a more open, airy display of the flower stalks. The stalks themselves are tinged purple when blooming then are retained and age to silver by late summer. It is also lower and a little more garden tolerant, coming from a region with summer rainfall. Think of it as a Helictotrichon scaled up. It makes a great focal point plant and can also be used as a massed groundcover. It looks great with boulders. Sierra Azul Nursery has a couple of good examples in their demonstration garden. To about 3' tall, taller when blooming, 4' across, drought tolerant when established. Sun to part shade, best in soils of at least average drainage. Sunset zones 5-24/USDA zone 7. rev 6/2006 

rigens    DEER GRASS    habit    this clumping native perennial grass bears very thin, arching grey green leaves to 3' long. Stiffly erect, very thin flower stalks appear in late spring and last through winter. It is one of our most distinctive native grasses, probably the largest, and looks great near large rocks or planted in groups or even en masse. The old seed stalks remain as ornamental features long after the seed has scattered. Sun to part shade, little or no summer watering when established. Very frost hardy. California. rev 10/2003

Musa    BANANA    California Rare Fruit Growers planting at Quail Botanic Gardens    ornamental plants ranging from small (3') to large (50'+). They all seem to be evergreen perennials, giant herbs, unless they are cut down by frost. Musaceae. rev 12/2006

FRUITING VARIETIES

Edible Banana and Plantain   fruting Dwarf Orinoco mat, High Street, Santa Cruz    dwarf variety used as an ornamental, Santa Cruz    as tropical foliage effect at the Huntington, with gingers and heliconia    pre-bloom "paddle" leaf    quick instructions: buy several well adapted varieties, plant them in full sun in rich soil in Sunset zones 8-9, 15-24, or with at least partial overhead protection in colder zones, water and feed regularly, and keep the pups down to NONE, or one only if you just can't stand it, until the mother has fruited. When the flower spike emerges it will set fruit at the base, these will take a few months to ripen and will turn light green when ready. Cut one horizontal spray ("hand") off at a time, place in a bowl with other fruit, and eat when yellow. Other short, basic instructions for banana culture can be found in the “the bible,” the Sunset Western Garden Book. For the full sermon as I preach it, keep reading.

     Much of the more extensive information below has come from my own experience, educational sources, and discussion with other enthusiasts about their hands-on experience, especially the irrepressible Jeff Earl, who regularly fruits several varieties at his home in Modesto, David Johnson, who does the same in Waterford, and Ben McNeill, a small commercial grower in relatively cool New Zealand.

     Derived from at least two and possibly several species, market bananas are sterile, usually polyploid (multiple chromosomes) hybrids. Recent genetic work indicates that highland New Guinea may be the original center of banana cultivation. Varieties new to the developed world but long in cultivation there are still being discovered, and new species keep popping up in Southeast Asia and around the South Pacific. They are an extremely important food crop worldwide, especially in developing and tropical countries. Bananas serve as an important source of starch, in which it is ranked fourth in importance worldwide after rice, wheat, and corn. For those of us in the First World bananas are a tropical fruit commodity, but for many poor people in Third and Fourth Worlds they are a critical staple. Besides being consumed fresh, in many societies they are important for cooking, roasting, and even brewing beer.

     In spite of its ubiquity and importance the exact botany and history of the modern edible banana is actually not well known. The exact role of the almost fifty wild species in its development is still being probed. With modern genetic analytic tools we may be able to trace the historic path of its development.

     Breeding    there are several efforts around the world aimed at improving banana fruit quality and growing characteristics. While none are specifically aimed at making them easier to grow in climatically marginal areas such as ours, we benefit peripherally from these efforts since many of the improvements serve to shorten the growing cycle, increase climatic adaptability, and increase disease resistance. There are programs in Brazil and South Africa, for example, but the best known source of new varieties has been FHIA, the Fundacion Hondureña Investigación Agricola. Their primary mission is reduction of poverty through increasing yields and limiting losses for this critical food plant. North American hobbyists benefit greatly from these efforts. In return we pass information back to these organizations on growing bananas outside their normal historic climate zones, especially colder areas, and benefit those organizations in their quest to better the lives of their beneficiaries.

     Edible bananas are classed by genetic grouping, and will usually have an included shorthand notation reference with their name, such as AAA, AB, ABB, BBB, etc.  This refers to the presumed or known parentage, based on Musa acuminata (A, which tends to produce sweet fruit and want to grow warm) and M. balbisiana (B, which tends to produce starchy fruit and can grow cooler). Hybrids between them, either diploid (AB, two chromosomes, one from Musa A and one from Musa B) or polyploid (AAB, ABBB), are sterile, which is why commercial bananas usually don't have the large, obnoxious seeds found in the edible wild species.

    The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture divides the groups as follows:

     AAA - dessert, highland beer and cooking bananas
     AAB - plantains and dessert bananas
     ABB - cooking bananas

     However there yet are other groups, and even within specific groups there are subgroups such that some AAB types are cold tolerant whereas others aren't, some ABBs are good eaten fresh while others are better cooked, etc.

     Growing Cycle    Dwarf Orinoco just beginning to flower    a giant perennial herb, bananas start as pups and usually grow one year and fruit the next. They seem to have a rather well-defined number of leaves that must develop before fruiting (12-25?), although that number varies by variety and maybe by climate as well, and there seem to be juvenility issues to overcome. As a general rule, the plants usually flower around 18 months after starting, with the spike pushing up through the center of the mother plant. The spike emerges upright then arches over towards the ground, then the fruits form from the base of the spike (near the top of the plant) to the pendant tip (near the ground). The fruit develop without pollination.

     Even if they don't fully ripen, bananas make wonderful, fast growing, Jack and the Beanstalk novelties that delight appreciative garden visitors of all ages. Plants can range from 3' (‘High Color Mini,’ and ‘Super Dwarf Cavendish,’ very tender, warm growing novelty types) to 20-25' (‘Ele Ele,’ a very ornamental fruiting type), with the majority in the 7-12' range. Also you want at least four leaves on a plant to develop the fruit once the flower spike emerges. Plants which flower when almost leafless tend to not be able to fill the fruits, though in warmer climates, and on plants with multiple pups, they may succeed.

     IMPORTANT: It seems the major cultural practice that leads to success in fruting bananas in the tropics is to control the number and vigor of pups lest they steal all the energy the mother stalk needs to finish the fruiting cycle. This is much more important in our marginal climates. This is probably the major factor that keeps amateurs from succeeding with bananas. Most banana mats are untended groves bent on devoting most of their energy to increasing size. If you want fruit, you have to control the pups.

     Growing Conditions    wind shredded foliage, Lighthouse Point    the tropical-grown bananas of commerce, ‘Cavendish’ or ‘Dwarf Cavendish’ and their derived cultivars, need relatively warm conditions to thrive, and will tend to fail under cold, wet, winter soil conditions. They also tend to be damaged at higher winter temperatures, often in the mid thirties Fahrenheit. They will tend to choke, a condition describing the failure of the flower spike to emerge the following spring. This can occur either from damage due to low temperatures chilling or killing the internal growing point, or lack of vigor to push through damaged, dried, frost-collapsed leaves and pseudotrunk tissue left over from winter. In either case, the plant will fail to complete the flowering/fruiting cycle. Varieties resistant to choking, more tolerant of cold, wet winter soils, able to take lower winter temperatures (near freezing) before being damaged, or able to ripen under cooler conditions (for coastal growers) form the backbone of the list best experimented with by California gardeners. Those are the varieties we concentrate on providing.

     Warmer areas will probably grow sweeter fruit, but if you are cooler than the Central Valley or Southern California, don't give up hope: in consumer testing in Australia, color was better on fruit from Sydney (subtropical, warmer than San Diego) but flavor was better from near Melbourne (more temperate, cooler than Modesto). According to commercial grower Ben McNeill of New Zealand, “This suggests to me that those of us near the edge of the climatic tolerance of bananas actually have a flavor advantage compared to the tropical growers.” You may get better fruit off the mat (the name for a cluster of banana stems) in your back yard than you can buy from the store!

     What about frost?    cold russeted bananas, Lighthouse Point    let's face it, bananas don't like frost, they would rather do without it. But they can still be overwintered in most areas in California most years because our hard freezes are either infrequent or of short duration. As far as the “cold tolerant” varieties are concerned it doesn't matter much if they lose all their leaves, or if the trunks freeze down a bit under the assault of repeated winter frosts. There is so little light energy available during the three months of winter that the plants are essentially standing still anyway, from a growth perspective. They will flush out and grow quickly once the weather warms in late winter or early spring. All that is important is that the meristem (tissue at the center of the stalk that will form the flowers/fruit) doesn't freeze in order to finish the fruiting cycle. Since most bananas make lots of growth during the growing season, and their trunk gets to be quite substantial, it takes quite a freeze to freeze it all the way through. How much protection they need to keep that from happening will vary depending on where the bananas are being grown.

     It is probably possible to regularly fruit some varieties as far north as Portland (Sunset zone 6!!) most years if the plants are well protected (wrapped, light bulb against trunk for heat, etc.) every year. One variety, Raja Puri, has actually been reported as being grown as a deciduous perennial as far north as Ohio. Unfortunately it is notorious for choking even in warm climates. This is one of the pieces of evidence that suggests it is probably possible to create a “California List" of those varieties which are forgiving of cool winters and some frost.

     Varieties on that list could be successfully overwintered away from structures and with no additional protection most years in zones 8-9 and 15-16. The plants would probably just act like giant deciduous perennials. Almost all the varieties we offer should be candidates for that list. Those that are known warm growers or question marks are noted. And remember that the list is still a work in progress, with continuous updates.

     In many relatively frost-free areas bananas can be overwintered without any extra protection most years. Those areas are Coastal Northern  and Central California (Sunset zone 17, perhaps 16) and Southern California (zones 12-13, 18-24). In other areas such as the Central Valley (Sunset zones 8-9) and Northern Inland Valleys (14-16) you will probably have to have some sort of minimal protection most years and may have to use good protection during the very coldest years. “Minimal protection” means a good overhang plus a warm wall, such protection as you might find if planted against a house. Some hobbyists build minimal cold frames to protect just the trunks over winter when planting away from structures. “Good” protection would mean wrapping in burlap and adding a light bulb for night warmth, perhaps loosely mounding straw from a bale of hay as far up the trunk as possible, etc. In general that is far more trouble than most people (including me) want to go through so they would just start over after the ten or twenty-five year freezes.

      If bananas aren't sufficiently protected and they do lose the central meristem they probably survive but will fail to fruit the following year. Since the pups start from below the ground the plant should survive all but the very worst, longest, deepest freezes (1972, 1990, 1998), those where the ground starts to freeze solid. With even minimal help the mat would probably still live to see another day even in those snappiest of cold snaps.

      The most likely scenario is that gardeners in California will just plant the things and hope the winter isn't too cold. Most years the plants will bear the following year. If they aren't getting fruit, and the growing season/site and cultural practices are adequate, especially controlling pups, it probably means the plants might need a little extra winter protection, might need to be resited, or might need to be replaced with a more cold tolerant or cool growing clone.

     Culture    typical untended (yet fruiting) mat at Lighthouse Point    plant in full or almost full sun. Water and feed regularly during spring, summer and fall, and mulch the soil surface heavily with rich organic material except directly against the trunk. Bananas are notoriously heavy potassium feeders. Signs of potassium deficiency are a yellowish leaf margins. The best solution is to find a fertilizer high in nitrogen AND potassium but not too high in phosphate. Ask your local independent nursery professional for help here. They like manure, in moderation, but watch out for burning off roots by using too much or especially applying during or going into cold weather, when poisonous ammonia and nitrites can accumulate from partial nitrogen conversion. In all situations plant in coarse, well aerated, heavily amended (with organic material) soils and (very important!) where the sun will warm the root area somewhat, especially during winter. Withhold water as much as possible in winter unless you are south of the dividing ranges where dry Santa Ana winds can desiccate plants quickly. In extremely wet winter climates, protecting the root area from rain with tarps may be necessary if you have the motivation. In marginal areas, a simple PVC pipe or redwood stake and plastic cold frame will protect the plant from killing frost until the fruit is ripe enough to harvest. If you anticipate having to do this, look for the dwarf varieties, most of which will fruit at under 7-8'.

     Most growth will occur when soil temperatures are no lower than 65-70°F. To help increase the number of days that occurs, keep weeds from around the base of the plant in summer in order to minimize cool, shaded roots. Clematis might enjoy that, bananas don't. In winter you can allow some vegatation to grow near the base somewhat to help pull moisture away and insulate soil temperatures. 

     Many of these varieties have been bred or selected for resistance to Panama Disease (Fusarium wilt), Yellow and Black Sigatoka leaf disorders (Mycosphaerelia fungus), and nematodes. Some of these problems may be found in California, or all could be absent. I can't find reliable information to indicate which is the case. Our plants are all from tissue culture and should be free from problems. Plants bought as divisions from out of state (especially Florida) or over the Internet from backyard growers should be held in deep suspicion. Only Black Sigatoka is unknown in Florida. Once you have these diseases you aren't going to get rid of them. Also, never cut bananas with any implements (shovels, shears) that haven't been scrubbed to mostly bright metal and disinfected (heat, Lysol spray) for monocot viruses, to which bananas are extremely susceptible. Trying to fruit virus-enfeebled bananas in marginal climates is almost certainly a lost cause. Any virused clumps should be immediately rogued out and disposed of.

     Gophers LOVE bananas, they really do. And if you have rats they may crawl up into the canopy and devour the developing fruit unless it is protected with chicken wire.

     Ripening and Harvesting    flower bract and spike    almost spent spike    conventional wisdom says the plant will need four to six months to ripen the fruit, and that range should cover fast ripening varieties in hot areas and slower varieties in all but the coolest-summer areas. Ripening will take longer later in the year as total energy available per day starts to fall dramatically with the onset of shorter days, cooler temperatures, and cloudy weather beginning in fall. If your plant hasn't initiated its flower spike by June or July, you can either wait and see what happens and risk winter-ripening the fruit, or you can experiment and cut it back hard, though resetting bloom by cutting back hard seems to be so unreliable as to be not worth trying. You are probably better off observing whether your variety will fill when spring starts again, which some can, if they don't get burned off by a true hard freeze. 

     Many varieties will abort their fruit under winter temperatures, some will simply stop further development when night temperatures drop below 50F (or some lower point), some might pause development until night temperatures rise again in spring. It appears that Goldfinger and Dwarf Orinoco, and undoubtedly others, are perfectly capable of pausing fruit development under cool conditions and resuming in spring, based on my observations of plants in Santa Cruz and corroborating reports from various other local growers.

     You want at least four leaves on the plant as it is ripening fruit if possible. However I am aware of at least one Goldfinger grown outdoors in the Petaluma area which produced good quality fruit from a stalk which initiated in fall, overwintered, and finished in late spring with no leaves at all to support the developing fruit. So all the development was supported by stored food reserves in the roots and stalk. This plant then produced three pups and formed a new canopy after spike was removed.

      It is best to plant several varieites and experiment. Fruit will often be ripening August through December. If they get a direct hard freeze you can kiss all of them goodbye. So if a hard freeze is predicted and you can't offer supplemental protection, harvest anyway since there is nothing to lose. Once the fruits have finished filling you stand a good chance of ripening them. Reducing the amount of fruit to ripen by reducing the number of the hands (horizontal fruit clusters that the spike is composed of - the fruit themselves are called fingers), or perhaps choosing larger varieties over dwarf strains (and thereby gaining more leaf area) may be strategies to try. Commercial growers shorten stalks from the bottom (the end, remember it is arching over!) to size up fruit, and one grower in cool New Zealand reports it only took only one month to ripen a two-hand stalk. In frost free areas, most non-Cavendish varieties will continue to ripen over winter though Cigar End Rot (a fungus) can become a problem in cold, wet conditions. Protect by removing dead tissue from around fruits and even covering with a plastic bag.

     It is not uncommon for a plant to miss its crop for the year due to one factor or another (planted late, early frost, cool year, Santa Ana winds, run-in with a gopher mob, etc.). Plant lots of varieties to spread out your chances, it helps ensure you at least get a little fruit every year. If only one variety comes through and has a good crop you may have well over a hundred pounds of bananas to dispose of anyway. The range of fruit cluster sizes quoted is what commercial growers in traditional banana growing areas report. Your results will vary.

     Any fruit cluster over about 25 pounds should probably be propped. A favorite method is to use a piece of old hose looped several times around the stalk, with the hose then hung from a stout pole(s), for hanging support that distributes the bearing surface. My best information indicates that plants which bloom "on time," (May-July) will produce smaller stalks around 20 lbs, and those which bloom later will produce larger stalks that probably won't ripen before winter in California.

     In commercial banana production the first crop from a new division is known as the “plant” crop (P). The fruit are smaller, the crop is smaller, and the quality is generally inferior to what you will get from your next crop off that mat. That next crop will come from a basal pup of the original plant after it flowers, bears and dies, and is called the “first ratoon” crop (R1). By the second ratoon crop (R2) you have the fruit at its best, whatever that is, and subject to varying growing conditions from year to year of course. Under good conditions once the mat is established you should get a crop every year.

     Eating    “dessert” refers to eating the fruit fresh out of hand, “cooking” means it will often have better flavor if cooked or roasted. Even heating briefly releases more flavor in the cooking types, though many are just fine fresh as long as they are fully ripe. My favorite way to cook bananas is just to sauté them briefly in a small amount of butter. I haven't tried roasting them, a common cooking treatment in developing countries or wherever cooking is done over a fire instead of in a stove, but from reports they are just thrown on coals in their skins for 15-20 minutes, turned when the skins blacken, until they are done all over, then they are retrieved, cooled, and eaten. This is the method I use camping, and it has always worked well for me, the kids and I have fun doing it, plus I appreciate the cultural significance of getting closer to my caveman roots by pitching food into a fire and fishing it out with a stick.

     In many if not all varieties the flowers and bracts are themselves edible and can cut off as sure as no more female flowers are being produced, which will further help fill the fruit. In some high concentrations of oxalic acid may make tasting quite an experience of the memorable kind, though I have a feeling those may have come from episodes where the bud wasn't properly prepared. I have also seen a comment that only cooking bananas are used, not fresh eating types. If you start screaming and running down the street, stop, don't eat more, but do please drop us a line as to which variety that was. Pisang Awak, which is probably the same as ‘Namwah,’ is eaten in Thailand. I have also seen reports that male flowers of Saba, Cardaba, and Brazilian/Dwarf Brazilian are edible, and I have myself prepared curry dishes from the flowers of 'Belle' and 'Mona Lisa.'  The flavor is nice, mild, slightly banana-vegetable, and the texture relatively crisp.

     The basic technique is to strip away any bracts or flowers themselves which are deeply colored, until you get down to the hear where the tissue is whitish and more tender.  What you want   Anything with any amount of color is going to be slightly astringent or bitter, which can be more interesting in very small doses. At this point you can test a little of the preparation and make sure it isn't "hot." Exactly how white your starting material is will depend on your personal preference. You can remove and save for use any flowers that are still light colored as you strip away the dark, older bracts surrounding them. Anything removed or cut goes into either water with lots of lemon juice or buttermilk, which will help leach away the sap (which stains black you and any clothing or absorbent material it comes in contact with) and keep the preparation from turning dark brown or black itself. Then you half or quarter the core lengthwise, then chop crosswise, add the unchopped (or halved) flowers, and add all that to the soaking liquid until ready to cook. Ready to chop  It is best to pull the styles from the flowers before cooking, they tend to get woody.

     Then you take some butter, or olive oil and butter, or peanut, sesame or other oil, and melt it into a large skillet, and don't be too stingy. Chop up 6-8 green onions and put them in and drain off the liquid from the banana flowers and add them. At this point recipes start to diverge more widely, depending on whether you are going to go Indian, Southeast Asian, or Southern Pacific, but my preparation would be to add a little dry mustard, some cumin, allspice, caraway seed, and enought turmeric that it turns as yellow as you can stand it, then cook for 10-20 minutes on low. Then add some unsweetened coconut (best fresh, grated, but who has that) and cook some more. You add a small of buttermilk or yoghurt at the end to sauce it up, with more on the side at the table, add some salt to taste. It can be served by itself as a side dish or over rice as a main dish. One flower bud will serve 4-6 , or it will serve you by yourself for four nights because no one else in your family will dare try it. But I know Joe Shultz (India Joze) would be proud of me!

     You can add chilis, or gingers, or keep them out, there are endless variations. In the Filipino version you probably start with vinegar, in the Chinese version you probably start with peanut oil. In Bali they are fried with garlic and onion. In the end the basic method is the same. An Internet search will turn up some interesting recipes. all the above rev 8/2008

'Belle'    flowering height    female flowers    ripening fruit - AAB. This is a first class variety. A sport of Pisang Raja, which itself is a vigorous grower (15-20') with a moderately heavy crop of very sweet, high quality fruit that are ivory white (to supposedly orange!) inside and of moderate to large size. My plant, the first banana variety I successfully fruited, flowered at 5' trunk height. The fruit formed were 4" long by 1 1/2" across, and had a wonderful, typical banana flavor with an elusive, perfumy, flowery undertone that was somewhat apple-like. The fruit also have a respectable and quite wonderful acidity which doesn't diminish, making them considerably zingier and more interesting than supermarket bananas. They hold very well after picking, to the point that they keep improving in flavor even past when the skins start to turn black and tough. This form has highly colored juvenile foliage with whitish undersides, an powdery white trunk, and is a vigorous, early season grower. Plants in this group are wind resistant and cool tolerant. Pisang (or “Pysang”) types hail from Malaysia but aren't all related. Some Pisangs are AA while the Pisang Raja group itself is AAB. I have also eaten 'Belle' flowers as a cooked vegetable, as described above. rev 12/2006

'Bordelon'    why you grow it    foliage closeup     translucent foliage    found in Bordelonville, Louisiana. This variety is an ornamental of supposed edible banana parentage to some degree, but its origin is circumspect and it is assumed to be a hybrid. It may be a cross with the very red-striped variety known in the trade as Sumatran Banana, M. acuminata ‘Zebrina,’ AKA M. sumatrana, AKA M. ‘Rojo,’ a notoriously slow, difficult, frost tender and somewhat cold sensitive plant even for Southern California. ‘Bordelon’ has green leaves striped with burgundy, and burgundy undersides. It is supposed to be a good cool grower and should be a great, more dependable substitute for Sumatran Banana. rev 9/2007

‘Cardaba’   wonderful white leaf undersides   BBB or ABB, may be a sport of ‘Saba.’ To 15', an easy and fast tall variety. It can be eaten fresh or cooked, and is excellent either way. This is one of the very best eating varieties. Fruit should be fully yellow before eating, but they don't hold long at that stage. They tend to get very soft and mushy near the skin at that stage but the flavor is incomparable when that ripe. Fast, wind tolerant, with a reputation for good cold tolerance and high resistance to choking. ‘Cardaba’ has a nice blue green colored leaf with whitish undersides. The large, rather rotund fruit is very white inside and often unevenly shaped and sized. Good, consistent reports from growers in cooler areas, and one of my best and fastest growing varieties in Santa Cruz. Also the #1 favorite of David Johnson in the heart of the Central Valley, who reports stalks in the 18-25 lb. range and "lemony [fruit], with undertones of other flavors." In commercial areas the clusters range between twenty and sixty pounds. rev 12/2006

‘Dwarf Orinoco’    young summer fruit, Santa Cruz    overwintered fruit, February    typical plant    ABB. A sport of ‘Orinoco,’ almost always fruiting by the time it is 6-7' tall. The fruit is the same as that of the original ‘Orinoco,’ large, and heavily angled, usually with three edges. This is a great one for small places and arguably the best one to start with in a hot summer/cool winter climate since it is small enough to be easily protected in real severe conditions. I have seen it grow and fruit in Santa Cruz. Reported to be quite shade tolerant. Leaves are whitish underneath, trunks have a waxy white coating. See ‘Orinoco’ for more growing and eating characteristics. Jeff Earl's #1 favorite! rev 12/2006

‘Ice Cream’ (‘Blue Java’)    ABB. Tastes like ice cream. They say you can even eat it with a spoon. May be a sport of Saba (I seriously doubt it) or Orinoco (more probably). Choke resistant, but reports are it is more sensitive to cold soil than ‘Goldfinger’ or ‘Orinoco.’ A larger grower to 14-18' with beautiful silvery leaves, a stout, glaucous trunk, robust root system, and relatively fast production cycle. Silvery blue green fruit have pure white interiors. Some say this one tastes the best, one source says it can sometimes get a spongy core. People who have tasted it personally tend to rave about it. It produces very heavily. Leaves are whitish below, trunks have a waxy/powdery white coating. A great grower for me in Santa Cruz. rev 8/2007

‘Misi Luki’    short, rotund, 4" long lady finger-type bananas are very sweet and very white and very good. A large, skinny grower to 15-20', it is best in locations not exposed to hard winds. It was reportedly selected from a high elevation in Samoa, and it does seem to produce good quality fruit under cool conditions according to one commercial grower in New Zealand. Another Southern California grower in a warm location rates it among his best, as does David Johnson growing it near Modesto. For me in cool, wet Santa Cruz as well as in the more severe Central Valley it has consistently been one of the fastest, most vigorous growers. It is also a beautiful ornamental, with blue green leaves that are silvery underneath and with a nice whitish powdery bloom on the petioles and crown. This plant would be great if it never bore a fruit. Plus it has a nice, exotic name. rev 3/2006

‘Raja Puri’   at Quail BG   AAB. Of Indian origin, it can be used fresh or green. Very heat tolerant, and reportedly one of the most cold tolerant as well, which makes it a prime candidate for trial growing. A Central Valley grower I know reported it essentially stopped growing below 80°F and retained its leaves along with ‘Orinoco’ and ‘Dwarf Namwah’ when all others had defoliated from cold. A small grower, it should flower around 6-7' tall. It has been grown as an ornamental almost as far north as M. basjoo, though it never fruits there due to death of the flower spike, and other fruiting varieties may be similarly vegetatively hardy. However, there are reports of choking under conditions where Orinoco finished its fruiting cycle, and even reports of it choking under warm Florida conditions. It may not like temperature fluctuation. There is too little experience with cold winter climate growing to definitively answer this, only time and experimentation will tell. There are certainly plenty who consider it cold hardy. If nothing else it will make a great hardy ornamental foliage plant. Fruit tend to be short and very sweet. It seems to have a very long production cycle. rev 12/2002

ORNAMENTAL VARIETIES

basjoo    JAPANESE FIBER BANANA    in Portland    mature mat in spring, Richard Josephson's, Santa Cruz    flower and fruit spike    wonderful columnar trunks at Strybing Arboretum    a hardy (zone 5-6) banana, probably THE most cold hardy banana species. This species will survive snow and great amounts of cold, acting as a giant deciduous perennial. Unlike most other bananas, the foliage can take down to freezing or even slightly below without damage. Its trunks are know to take mid twenties before beginning to freeze down. In fact, one grower I know in the Pacific Northwest summed it up when he said “If it isn't freezing, it's growing.” It will reach 8-12' tall in one growing season with enough heat, water, and fertilizer, and can go close to 20' at maturity. In mild climates, it will overwinter and the stands look much like any other banana. While leaves will survive light frosts, they tend to get badly tattered during winter storms, and plants are probably best at least partially cut back early in spring in most situations. Like most bananas, it probably forms its flower stalk the first year and it emerges and continues the reproductive cycle the second year. If it doesn't freeze down, you may see typical banana flowers and small, seedy, essentially inedible fruit. All bananas seem to appreciate a warm situation, and if you are in the cool coastal belts, you should site this plant so it receives at least some direct sunlight in winter. This species will reportedly take 0°F without protection and -20°F with thick mulch. But unless you are in a very cold area where this species' extreme hardiness will be of value, why not try one of the fruiting types, which will look as good or better and may reward you with fruit as well? This species is actually not the real “Japanese Fiber Banana,” M. balbisiana is. And it is not really from Japan, it is from China. In fact, no bananas are truly native to Japan; even M. balbisiana is an introduced species there. rev 5/2003

sumatrana 'Zebrinus'    young plant    also sold as Musa 'Rojo' and Musa zebrinus, this is a tender subtropical variety that is slow and cranky under the best conditions, even in Southern California. Give it your warmest, most protected spot and it will do pretty well, but expect to lose it in protracted, cold, wet winters. Even if it doesn't die it can languish in cold or shady conditions and emerge with new growth quite late in spring. Its best application is probably in a container, where it can be moved to its most seasonally advantageous situation and protected from the worst a cold winter has to offer. Its leaves are the best of any currently available banana, being a deep, tropical olive green splashed with intense maroon, even on the older growth. Even if you have to replace it every few years it is unparalleled at making a tropical statement in a landscape. It is normally small-statured, under 10' tall and with only a few psuedotrunks. rev 8/2007 

Musella lasiocarpa    CHINESE YELLOW BANANA, ROCK BANANA, “YELLOW LOTUS EMERGING FROM THE MOTHER EARTH” BANANA    amazing 14" flower    blue leaves, clumping habit    silver raindrops    nursery plants, cut back and dormant in winter    an interesting, compact, hardy banana relative from about 9000' elevation in the Himalayas in Yunnan, China. This species forms a robust trunk topped with luxuriant, broad, dark bluish green leaves to about 3-4' long, held very upright, with whitish undersides well displayed. They are extremely wind tolerant, reported to resist even hurricane force winds without shredding. From personal experience I have never seen a single leaf split in four years of growing. Overall height is 5-6'. The second (or third, or fourth) year it may (or may not) produce a large, terminal, upright-facing, cone-like cluster of iridescent, light golden yellow flower buds, the bracts of which open in a star-like pattern until the entire massive display is about 8" across. They exude a large quantity of nectar that attracts butterflies and bees and I would expect probably hummingbirds too once they discover it. Mature plants become quite enlarged and bulbous at the base, and even when young this pseudotrunk is very ornamental in and of itself. I have seen pictures of mature plants near the end of their flowering cycle that look like enormous, fat, 4' tall cones with no leaves, just this enormous upward-facing yellow flower cluster perched on top. The flowering cycle can last up to a year after which the central plant will die and the circle of pups at the base will continue the cycle. My plants flowered after three winters (they grow in mostly shade, and do fine, but the more light and warmth the better) but I really like them planted in front of my house just for the foliage color and tropical look that their wonderful, perfect, perky, bluish leaves bring. I also realize my plants have gotten along fine with almost no watering when they have had to, probably due to the large amount of water stored in that thick trunk

     It makes an outstanding container plant, being rather succulent and forgiving of root crowding. As far as taking our climate, this thing seems to actually like cold, wet winters. The leaves can tend to decline and wither on exposed plants in cold areas in winter, leaving that bizarre rotund pseudotrunk mostly naked of leaves. It is frost hardy enough to be raised in USDA zone 7, possibly zone 6 or even 5. It is known to take 10°F without damage (crowns). Plants begin to grow again in spring, though mostly not until the occurrence of long days. They should have some direct sun or they won't grow until average daytime temperatures are high. It does very well along the cool Central Coast region of California but seems to do fine in hotter inland areas as well.

     Besides Yunnan, it is cultivated in China, Vietnam, Laos, and Burma. It is relevant to the Buddhist religion because when the flower cluster is just beginning to open up it looks quite a bit like a new, emerging golden lotus flower. This species has been known to horticulture in the East probably since Confucius was a pup and was even described by a Western botanist in the late 1800's. It is quite possibly extinct in the wild. It is widely cultivated in Southeast Asia though, for edible and medicinal purposes. The suckers are cooked and eaten after treating to remove some bad element and may be fed to livestock untreated. Musaceae. rev 5/2004

Myoporum parvifolium ‘Putah Creek’    CREEPING BOOBIALLA    habit    large scale planting, Watsonville    prostrate evergreen groundcover to 6" tall, spreading to cover large areas by rooting in stems. This variety, introduced by the UC Davis Arboretum, has neat, dark green foliage with minute serrations. Leaves are slightly larger than the regular Myoporum usually sold in flats. All these varieties survived 20°F with damage. Myoporums need average to good drainage with little summer watering. This species ranges across southern Australia. The name for this variety is a derivation of a Native California Indian word.

pink flower form    closeup    smaller, semisucculent leaves and very prostrate habit. Light pink flowers. UC Santa Cruz.

Myrica californica    PACIFIC WAX MYRTLE, BAYBERRY    informal hedge    clipped hedge    evergreen shrub to 10-15’ tall with neat, dark green leaves. Great shrub to recommend to customers for almost any situation; will take sun or shade, almost any soil, wet or relatively dry conditions. Good screen plant for sun or shade. Will take almost immediate coastal conditions. The seeds of this western species can probably be boiled to extract the waxy substance used for making bayberry candles, just like the Eastern species, but I don't think it has the same scent. Hardy enough for most of California. Pacific Coast. Myricaceae.