Musa Helen's Hybrid - Banana

Musa sikkimensis 'Helen’s Hybrid' is a hardy banana plant discovered growing wild in the Darjeeling region, in the heart of the eastern Himalayas. Probably a natural hybrid between Musa sikkimensis and the cultivar 'Chini-Champa', it combines hardiness, vigour and fruiting potential in a favourable climate. With its pseudostem and large leaves with bright red undersides, it brings a tropical atmosphere to our gardens. Suitable for growing in open ground or in a large pot, this variety withstands temperatures down to –15°C once well established. An unusual decorative and resilient plant. 

The 'Helen’s Hybrid' banana belongs to the Musaceae family. It is known under the names Darjeeling banana or hardy banana. This cultivar is related to the species Musa sikkimensis, native to the Himalayan foothills of Sikkim, Bhutan and northern India, where it grows naturally between 1,500 and 1,800 metres altitude.
It is a perennial rhizomatous plant with a pseudostem formed by the stacking of leaf sheaths, which regularly produces offshoots from superficial rhizomes. Its habit is initially erect, then slightly spreading. Its growth is rapid: it reaches 4.50 m to 5 m in height in open ground, with a spread of 2 to 3 m, and maintains a more modest size in a pot, around 3 m. Its leaves are very large, elliptical, and a clear green, often tinged with red on the underside, especially on young shoots. Each can exceed 1.50 m long by 50 cm wide, with a texture that is supple and slightly wavy. 
It will flower after two to three years of cultivation, generally in summer, with a spadix surrounded by colourful bracts that emerges from the heart of the foliage. The small flowers are arranged in a spiral and pollinated by insects. When the summer is sufficiently long and hot, bunches of small, sweet bananas will form, edible but containing many hard seeds. This 'Helen's Hybrid' banana displays exceptional hardiness, down to –15°C once well established. Its stump even regrows after severe frost. 

The discovery of this hardy banana 'Helen's Hybrid', took it from the Himalayan slopes to European gardens. You can integrate it into a lush border alongside colocasias, large Phormiums and even rhubarbs. As a specimen plant, it forms a tall focal point in the heart of a tropical-inspired garden. Grown in a large pot, it can accompany Strelitzia on a sheltered terrace. This plant enjoys warm, humid environments, and combines perfectly with colourful or textured foliage to create contrasting scenes.

Just like perennial plants, banana plants are dormant during winter: their aerial parts dry up and die.  Plants dispatched in winter are therefore cut back to the ground (leaves and stems) by our teams to give the plant a better start in spring.