No exotic garden would be complete nowadays if it didn’t contain an Ensete Maurelii. The massive paddle leaves of glossy luminous green and purple make an unforgettable first impression in any UK garden. Growing up to 1.5m in it’s first season these foliage favourites can reach up to 5m in height in just a few years. We might not be coming across them in some forgotten corner of a neglected garden in ten years time though, like the once essential pampus grass, because these ‘must haves’ are not hardy. In fact, they are quite a tricky beast to get through the average UK winter freeze once they reach monster size. It’s easy in the first year, they can be treated as a houseplant if you have the room (but they must have as much light as you can muster or the leaves will wither), but in subsequent years the bigger boys will have to be dry stored.
Ensete bananas go under many common names including Abyssinian Banana, Ethiopian Banana and false banana. It originates from the east side of Africa and can be found in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. It is monocarpic meaning that it flowers, makes seeds and then dies.
It is a significant source of food in Ethiopia. It is fast growing but is not frost hardy. Ensete bananas have been grown in Ethiopia for thousands of years.
Easy to grow during the summer if kept well watered. In the winter they must be taken into a frost free environment. Small plants can be treated as a house plant but larger plants must be dry stored. They first need digging up and their leaves removing and then the soil needs to be washed from the roots. Hang upside down for a week to dry and then store in perlite over winter in a dark place. Sulphur can be applied to the roots to prevent rot
