Until the 1950s. the most popular commercial banana variety in the world was the Gros Michel, which was affectionately known as “Big Mike.”
Due to Panama wilt, a fungus disease, it was virtually wiped out along with the entire banana industry. However, the Cavendish variety proved resistant to this disease, and it is the variety you now find at every grocery store. It is universally acknowledged that Gros Michel is the far more flavorful banana with a sweeter taste and creamier texture than Cavendish. Although it is generally not planted in California, Ronni Kern grew Gros Michel successfully in her Santa Monica front yard for nine years, so it would be worth the risk if you have succeeded in cultivating other banana varieties. Furthermore, the fungus that kills Gros Michel has not been found in California soil.
Kern, who is chair of the West Los Angeles chapter of California Rare Fruit Growers, finally gave up growing Gros Michel, but not through lack of a crop. Quite the opposite was true. The problem was logistical since the enormous bunches of bananas that came each year were at a height of 15 feet. Each year, she had to position stout scaffolds made of two-inch-diameter PVC pipe to access the hefty banana hands. For those in the know, a banana bunch is called a “hand” and each fruit is a “finger.” Although the banana originated in northern Australia and Southeast Asia, the word “banana” is thought to have come from a word for the fruit that was spoken in West Africa, from where the first bananas to arrive in the New World were shipped in 1516. In any event, Kern eventually gave up growing Gros Michel due to its unwieldy hands, but was able to pass along its legacy to an eager horticulturist who had traveled a long distance for the many pups or offsets that her plant had produced. Yes, growing banana trees allows you to “go bananas” in the distribution of their offspring, which readily appear without any effort on your part.
Gros Michel is extremely difficult to find in the nursery trade, and the only grower I found in the United States that cultivates it at present is Rivers of Provision (919-633-2521) in Tampa, Florida. You can order their trees on Etsy.com; search “Rivers of Provision Gros Michel” on that website. A single tree costs $50 (including shipping), but quantity discounts are available. Kern is in search of two Gros Michel dwarf cultivars, Cocoa and Highgate, so if you know of where they can be found, please advise. Meanwhile, she is growing the dwarf Brazilian variety whose fruit she extols.
Chinese dwarf banana (Musella lasiocarpa) is one of the most cold-hardy of the banana group. Its deep-yellow flowers, formed like artichokes, last throughout the summer. Chinese dwarf banana grows no more than 6 feet tall and, although it dies back each winter, reliably regrows from stout rhizomes with the resumption of warm weather. Its bananas are small and not as sweet as those of the tropical varieties. Then there is a super-hardy banana hybrid (Musa basjoo) that can grow almost anywhere in the United States. Where its rhizomes are heavily mulched, it can survive temperatures as low as -10 degrees. It is sometimes called Japanese banana, although it actually comes from China. With this species, however, while the growth of enormous leaves is explosive, you should not expect any fruit. One of the most appropriate plants for container growing is red Abyssinian banana (Ensete ventricosum var. Maurelii). It has large, handsome leaves that turn reddish bronze with increased light exposure, although they will also thrive in partial sun.
If you have ever thought of growing bananas but fear your climate might be too cold for them, take heart from Alex Silber at Papaya Tree Nursery (papayatreenursery.com). He cultivates eight banana varieties in Granada Hills, at the northernmost point of the San Fernando Valley. When frost is forecast, he protects his banana trees and other tropicals by placing plastic or shade cloth “cages” or booths over them.
Speaking of Ronni Kern, she is currently growing over 100 rhubarb plants, under the auspices of her fruit grower group, that are available to the general public. To find out more about acquisition of these plants, which include several rhubarb varieties that have proven to grow well in our area, go to wla.crfg.org. When you get there, click “Hey, what’s happening?!” whereupon you will be taken to “The Rhubarb Riot Returns!” which includes a link to the rhubarb plants currently for sale. If you would rather buy seeds of these varieties, you can find them at frenchharvest.com.au.
Butterfly bush. (Photo by Joshua Siskin)It’s been two years since a volunteer butterfly bush (Buddleia sp.) sprouted in my garden, and it’s already seven feet tall. It is located across a walkway from its mother plant, whose flowers are pink, although the flowers of this volunteer are lilac. There is a special kind of pride that comes with seeing a homegrown, burgeoning shrub with conical, foot-long inflorescences, each of which is composed of more than a hundred of tiny florets that are blanketed with nectar-seeking bees.
I would be hard pressed to find any plant more rewarding than a butterfly bush. Once it gets going, it really does not need much of anything, including water, to thrive. It is a wonderful pollinator plant and attracts every type of butterfly into the bargain. Cut it back as low as you wish each winter and expect it to put on ten feet of growth or more by the time fall arrives.
California native of the week: Californian fawn lily (Erythronium californium) grows from a bulb and is summer dormant so you will want to make sure not to water it once the heat of summer arrives. Native to the northwest part of the state, this is a species that requires shade and moist soil in Southern California. But it is definitely worth the effort as it will naturalize or spread throughout your partial to nearly full shade area soon enough. The White Beauty California fawn lily variety as well as the yellow Pagoda are widely available through Internet vendors. Although bulbs often do not ship until summer’s end, it is wise to order them before the supply runs out, which frequently occurs early where bulbs are concerned.
If you have had success growing bananas, butterfly bushes, or any other plants that you think deserve our attention, please send your experiences with them to joshua@perfectplants.com. Your questions, comments, horticultural conundrums and successes are always welcome.
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