Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii' (Red Abyssinian Banana) – Architectural Foliage (3L Pot)

The red Abyssinian banana is grown for its huge paddle shaped leaves, flushed deep burgundy red, which turn a patio into somewhere else entirely.

It is not a fruiting banana and rarely flowers here. What it does is grow, quickly, through a warm summer, throwing up leaf after leaf from a single stout trunk. Unlike the hardier Musa bananas it does not sucker, so you get one bold specimen rather than a clump. Big leaves shred in wind, so give it a sheltered corner.

Stand it outside from late May in full sun, in rich soil or a large container, and keep it well watered and fed while it is growing. It is not frost tolerant. Lift the whole plant before the first frosts, cut the leaves off and store it somewhere frost free and nearly dry over winter, above about 7C, or keep it as a large indoor specimen in a bright spot. It arrives as an established plant in a 3L pot.

Cultural Information

• Common Name: Red Abyssinian banana
• Fully Grown Height and Spread: Up to 3 to 6m tall and 2 to 3m wide in ideal growing conditions
• Growth Habit: Upright, single stemmed, with large paddle shaped leaves
• Perfect For: Tropical style planting, large containers, patios and focal points
• Foliage: Large, broad, paddle shaped leaves with a deep red burgundy flush
• Flowering Time: Rarely flowers in Britain, grown for its foliage
• Planting Position: Full sun and shelter from wind outdoors, or a bright spot indoors. Well suited to a large container
• Soil Type: Rich, moist but well drained
• Hardiness: Tender. It will not tolerate frost and needs to be kept above about 7C over winter
• Maintenance: Water and feed generously in summer, then lift and store it frost free and nearly dry over winter
• Seasonal Interest: Summer
• Type: Tender architectural perennial