Red Abyssinian Banana in container

Ensete banana

Red Abyssinian banana (Ensete maurelii ‘Red Abyssinian’) is a tropical banana from high in the mountains of Ethiopia in eastern Africa. Its enormous reddish to purplish foliage and red – burgundy trunk adds a tropical presence to any garden. Compared to hardier banana genus Musa, Ensete does not produce root suckers (pups) nor is it a clump grower. All foliage originates from one trunk. By late September plant may grow 8 – 10 feet tall and 6 – 7 feet wide in temperate gardens and double that size in tropical regions.

Individual leaves expand to 10 feet or more in length. The green leaves orient upright and are splashed with vivid burgundy splotches over the new stems and foliage. Foliage color is more vivid if grown in full sun. Red Abyssinian can be planted in large containers or troughs and set on your deck or patio.

Red Abyssinian holds its foliage very upright on a burgundy colored pseudo-trunk. Spring/summer growth is extremely vigorous. This tropical banana excels in hot, humid, wet summers and rich fertile soils and fails when soil moisture and nitrogen fertilizer are lacking.

At the garden center your initial purchase may be a 18-inch starter plant from tissue culture, and in only 4 – 5 months it develops into a 6 – 8 foot giant. Beautiful flowers form only in tropical climates with a much longer hot weather to permit uninterrupted growth.

Select a large container greater than 24 inches in diameter at the base and weighted down to support what will be an enormous plant by late summer. Maintain your banana on the luxury diet with sun, water and liquid fertilizer.

Choose flowering bedding plants, large leaf hostas, vining ground covers, and/or ferns to complement Ensete banana in a container.  In zone 8 and further south combine tropical gingers, spiky-leaved phormiums, and various palms.