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Introduction

I am growing bananas since 2003 and so far I have experimented with seven “hardy” banana species. I live in Atlanta, GA (Chamblee to be exact), which is a zone 7b climate (Arborday puts me into a zone 8, though ). Following I will describe some of my experiences I had with those species.

Disclaimer: Since I am not a horticulturist/biologist by trade (I develop enterprise software to earn my bread), my experiences are mostly subjective and they only reflect experiences of bananas grown around my home. If you see any issues, please contact me at and I will fix those as quickly as possible.

In order to start, I have ordered the following list based on my assessed degree of hardiness:

Latin Name Common Name Remarks
Musa basjoo Japanese Fiber Banana Earliest Banana to start growing in spring
Musa sikkimensis Darjeeling Banana My most leaf hardy banana (damage starts around 30F)
Musella lasiocarpa Chinese Yellow Banana Solid performer
Musa itinerans Yunnan Banana Stem is sensitive to moisture during winter months. Root system seems to handle moisture well, though.
Musa 'Orinoco' Orinoco Banana Sensitive to moisture during winter months. Needs excellent drainage
Musa velutina Pink Fruiting Banana Sensitive to moisture during winter months. Needs excellent drainage
Musa 'Raja Puri' Rajapuri Banana Sensitive to moisture during winter months. Needs excellent drainage
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Musa sikkimensis in October 2006. Musa velutina blossoming in late August 2005. Musa itinerans in July 2007.
Musa sikkimensis in October 2006. Musa velutina blossoming in late August 2005. Musa itinerans in July 2007.