A non-commercial guide to organic gardening in the mid-Atlantic states, with some specifics to central Virginia..and some information applicable across the country! Or to other time zones! Across the seas! Who knew? "No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden." Thomas Jefferson
Sunday, October 31, 2010
A Banana Flowers In Virginia
Bananas
I previously wrote an entry on my love affair with banana plants ("Goin' bananas"), how I take them indoors to my attic every winter, and bring them back out again in the spring. Well, I purchased two new banana plants at a plant sale at Norfolk Botanical gardens this spring, a mystery variety, and voila! One is in flower (above) and I am anticipating enjoying that flower in my house for several months! Bananas are a large, herbaceous plant, similar to a large stalk of grass. They usually live for two years, flowering and dying in their second year, then sending up a "daughter" shoot (not really a daughter, as it is a genetic clone of the "mother" plant). I expect that this flower will not produce fruit, and, if it does, it will not be edible...but what fun!
Happy gardening!
My mother has (or used to have) huge-leaf plants in her yard. I think she said they were banana plants. I'm going to call her to ask...I'm now curious.
ReplyDeleteAnita- did you find out yet?
ReplyDeletejt
I did. They were elephant plants. I'm sure that's not the official name, but my memory is better now. The leaves were huge, and looked a little like elephant ears.
ReplyDelete