Good for you! I have not had much luck growing banana's yet but I am still new at it. Post a picture if you can. That sounds very strange to bloom on such a small plant. Are your plants overwintered in the ground? Thanks, Red

I have overwintered the basjoos in the ground for seven years. I usually mulch the larger clumps with leaves and straw and cover them with a tarp after the first frost kills them back to the ground. In the spring I slowly uncover them until the first shoots appear. Some of my divisions I have left uncovered to test their hardiness and I havent lost any clumps yet. This last winter was very cold for a month or so and we had a hard freeze in early spring after all my shoots emerged. It slowed them down a bit, but once they recovered they grew back to their usual glory. They are near eight feet already. In zone 8 you should have no problem with them as long as you can keep them moist during the summer and dryer during the winter months. As far as the flower, I have never seen anything like it. I have many other banana varieties that have flowered and fruited but never the basjoos until now. How does one post a picture here?

I sent you this email the other day but it seemed to have bounced back - not sure if you received it or not .

"Hi I came across your post in the banana forum - I noticed you have seeds of Canna musafolia while reading a forum you posted - that is one of the 2 I'm looking for -also looking for stuttgard - I have a few interesting things to trade If you like - I live in southern ontario Canada - I have a few fresh seeds of orange bird of paradise if you interested" (reginae).
cheers
Jeff aka nyssaman