In your zone, you can grow Musa Basjoo outside all year.
You need to find a plant or pup ( baby plant) for a start.
There are a number of places on-line you can find them to buy or maybe someone on this forum will have some for you to trade (or ask the guy down your block- seriously- once your banana takes hold, you get a ton of pups!).
Good luck!

Thanks! Now that I know what to look for, I can order one in the spring. No one in my neighborhood grows one. I saw one in a yard in town and that is where I got the idea to grow one. Thanks again.
Ann

Ann, being a fellow Arkansan, I will send you a musa basjoo pup in the spring. Send me an email if you'd like one. I can give you some more information about basjoo in our climate.

Hey that's a great offer.
Bunny6--There's one other one that would work in your zone 7, and you can also grow it from seed- Musa sikkimensis.

i to am a fellow arkansan,you can also purchase bananas from a lowes or home depot center in the spring

Austin, thank you very much for the offer! I will e-mail you in a couple of days, because my centurytel e-mail is not working correctly. I will have to create one on another site. I am planning to plant a small tropical garden next year. I would greatly appreciate any advise you could give me. I live in Russellville. We only have Lowes and they said that they only had a few and so they were bought quickly.
Thanks
Bunny

Wow, what a shame! Our Lowe's still has lots just sitting in pots outside and not being sold. They are nice too -- about 2-3 feet tall! I don't think a lot of people in my area even know about them. lol

I really wish our Lowe's would send what they have at this point down to the warmer states before they get these 38 degree nights they're calling for tonight and tomorrow night! I'd hate to see those beauties get frozen and die. Maybe you can call some Lowe's in our state to see if they have them and/or can send them to the stores in your area.? Just a thought.

Hope you find some!

Gonna have to check out my Lowes tomorrow and see if they have any left in Sunny SC. I have several Musa Basjoos, wonderful banana plants!!

bunny, do keep in mind that in zone 7, the basjoo leaves and STALK will completely die down. In the spring you will see a dead stalk but the corm ( base root structure from which roots form from ) is still alive. It will send up new shoots. If you want to preserve the stalk, you will have to wrap it and insulate it from the cold to keep it till next spring.

Austin-I sent you an e-mail, but the e-mail came back-undelivered.

Our local Lowes does not have any banana plants. They said they would not even order one from another store. The worker stated that they had only a few at the beginning of the season. It seems to be a popular plant, so it can't be this hard to find one. I hope to be able to get one in the spring. I may have to order on line.

What would I wrap the stalk with to protect it from the cold?