cannas and daylilies can be divided now, and replanted. just cover with mulch (2-3") to help keep them from freezing.

down here for banana plants, when temps drop below 60-ish, cut them down to the ground, and cover with thick mulch (6-9"). further up north, you can do the same with oleanders. down here they usually last through our mild winters.

Houstontexas gave you excellent advice! I agree completely
Molly

All the plants you've described all are hardy in zone 8 and unless you need more plants you don't have to divide them. Banana plants will freeze but my advice is to let them get nipped by a frost/freeze and just cut off the top leaves leaving a trunk. If your lucky, more leaves will appear at the top next spring and you may get bananas.

i've never grown banana trees, but my aunt and uncle have and so have a few friends and co-workers. they prefer to cut them down before the 1st frost, or they end up with a pile of mushy, wet plant material. personal preference i guess.

Hi Texas Nurse ! Congratulations on the new house. It's great that you feel you can start a garden with everything else going on. I have bananas and even the coldest year they came back. Depends on what type you have though. Although I never cut them back BEFORE the freeze, I wish I did. They are so messy to do in the spring, but it's not that bad. The old dead stuff helps that falls over helps to keep the roots insulated throughout the winter.

I hope you'll consider attending a plant swap if there's one in your area. These people can help you immensely and it's always fun to meet people with the same obsession. We are having one in San Antonio on october 13, and in Manchaca on October 20. If you live nearer Houston or dallas, they have them, too, and I think I have seen some here for other areas. They are lots of fun and swapping plants is great for the pocketbook !

feel free to email if you want any more information.

patty

I bring my Musa Rojo (green with maroon stripes) in for the winter because I heard that they need warmer winters than we have here. You have to watch overwatering inside though. My cannas and daylilies planted in ground stay out all year.

I live in zone 8 - east Texas - and at another home I had bananas growing so much they became invasive. They grew too tall - and big - and I definitely had to whack them back before frost so they would not be a mushy mess. Lots of things grow in this zone. I am hoping my Esperanza can be mulched and survive the winter - I have one in a protected place that comes back yearly. Daylilies are tough - I have ordered lots from the Daylily Auction and they are starting to arrive - the ones I have planted are starting to grow well and green up. Now is a good time to divide. Have you tried roses? Antique roses are tough and bloom well - try Chamblees Roses in Tyler and the Antique Rose Emporium in Brenham - both ship and have excellent plants. If you are near any botanical gardens, go see what they grow [Tyler has an excellent one] and use those things in your yard. In spring, go on garden tours - you get ideas galore! Good luck, you will have great fun! Be sure to get your soil right in the beginning - thats the most important thing to start with. I have horses so topdress all my beds with compost in the fall - over the years, they have become great for growing things.