 Bananas are a tropical herbaceous plant consisting of an underground corm and a truck pseudo stem comprised of concentric layers of leaf sheaths. At 10-15 months after the emergence of a new plant, its true stem rapidly grows up through the centre and emerges as a terminal inflorescence which sometimes bears fruit.
- Zone 1: Hardy
Tolerating temperatures from -18 to -12 C or even lower.
- Zone 2: Frost Hardy
Tolerating temperatures from -12 to -7 C.
Plants in this category may require protection during prolonged spells of cold weather.
- Zone 3: Half Hardy
Tolerating temperatures from -7 to -1 C.
Plants in this category will require winter protection under glass. Some may survive outside with protective wrapping and a good mulch.
- Zone 4: Tender
Tolerating temperatures from 0 to +4 C.
Plants in this category will require bringing indoors during the winter months
What is Cold Hardiness?
This is an indication of a plants ability to withstand frost, low or freezing temperatures. It is not the whole story though as plant health may be affected by other factors such as exposure to sunlight, position (shelter), drainage and of course planting medium.
How is Cold Hardiness described?
Cold hardiness can be described in several ways. One method is known as zoning. The Zoning system works by splitting the country into Zones of temperature bands which are shown on a map. This map allows you to compare the temperature in your location to the temperature requirements of particular plants. In this way you can avoid purchasing plants unsuited to your local environment.
The UK is particularly interesting in that it is located fairly high on the Northern hemisphere which means we have only a few temperature Zones across the whole country. In fact most of the UK falls into only three Zones, with just small parts of the South West experiencing temperatures that could be regarded as exceptional within the UK.
 Plant Size Guide
- Small - 15-25 cm sized plant (9cm pot)
- Medium - 25-45 cm sized plant (14cm pot)
- Large - 50 cm + sized plant (17cm pot)
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