Cavendish grows 17 to 20 feet. Dwarf Cavendish grows 6 feet or so. If you have the dwarf variety, you'll get fruit. Just before flowering, the size of the leaves change. You will get a leaf approximately 3/4 the size of the last leaf (which, incidentally, should be the largest one produced). Then comes a half leaf, then a flag leaf, then the flower. The 3/4 leaf is hard to pick out but once the half leaf shows up, it's obvious what's about to happen.

Steve

We have a flower coming!!!!!

As for size, the leaves now reach to about 12-13 feet tall. I got leaves steadily getting larger, then a 3/4 size leaf, then a teensie little leaf which while unravelling reveals a twisty looking thing which is definitely not another leaf. Here comes the flower!!

I do however worry that the fruit will not mature before winter comes and the maturing may be so slow that everything will succumb to rotting. I build a greenhouse structure over the thing in the winter so it won't freeze, and will get a fair amount of light and heat especially up until December, but if this winter is anything like last my greenhouse will have steady night temps in the 38-45 range for January and February (days 60-70), which won't kill it outright but I'm afraid it will stall out completely.

Oh well.... I still got some freakin' flowering. If only I can get it to flower in June instead of September.

Congratulations on the flower! I always get excited when all of my bananas flower. I have 10 different varieties in my yard but much to my dismay they burn in the winter. (I am in N florida) AS to the fruiting issue - bananas require 15 months of active growth to reach the flowering/fruiting stage. I too have the same problem - I no sooner get the flowers and the seasons change and the colder weather hits us. Good luck.

Living where I do (Caribbean isl. of Barbados) we have no problem with cold winter conditions.

Even so I've been growing banana plants in my back yard now for a little over a year
but no fruit yet.

I read somewhere that bananas bring forth 44 leaves, and then the fruit.
To that end, I've numbered the first few leaves of a few pups I now have growing out from the base of now-adult trees
(who will hopefully soon be doing something!).
Ever the mad scientist, I'd like to keep on numbering, as long as I can reach that high up -LOL!
Black marking pen numerals seems to stay put thru all kinds of weather,down here.

Here is a pic - only 9 days after the flower began to appear!

Here is a link that might be useful: Banana - 9 days after the flower