Sleeping with Bananas
  and other tropical plants.

   When Willie Waterman, my recently-departed husband, brought me to Wisconsin, I decided to sleep with bananas.  They’re considerate roommates that conjure visions of warm breezes, rum drinks with paper parasols and white beaches, despite the lead gray skies and endless ice and snow eight months out of the year here.  



Broad banana leaves curtain my bedroom window all winter and frame the snow fields beyond the glass. Every few weeks, another huge leaf unfurls and pushes the towering plant that much closer to fruiting.  And, bananas don’t snore, unlike poor Willie who had sleep apnea and 80 extra pounds on his five-foot-three frame.  He was a walking heart attack waiting to happen, but a generous soul who lavished love and luxury upon me during the eight months we were married.

   Willie also loved sharing his bedroom with bananas, because he knew that this Southern girl needed tropical beauties around her and in her garden, season after season.  Plants, normally found in along the bayous and near the sultry Gulf of Mexico where I spent much of my life, bear fruit and huge, striking flowers even in Wisconsin if carried over from year to year.  Who wouldn’t want huge peach angel trumpets, stalks of red bananas, sweet-tart kumquats and tangerine and red tie-dyed hibiscus on their patio?  Their musky floral aromas and succulent fruits set the mood for gracious outdoor living, even though our Wisconsin summers seem to last about two weeks!

   I’ve learned from experience about the three ways to over-winter any tender plant. 

Houseplants: 

·        Choose a south, east or west facing window.  Citrus will flower in strong southern or western light and set fruit if you hand-pollinate their blossoms.  Three to four hours of sun daily will sustain most plants.

·        Do not repot plants brought indoors for the winter, as they will not add roots during the winter months.  Extra soil in a bigger will only encourage root rot.

Force Dormancy:

·        Store large container-grown tropicals in a dark area that remains above 32ºF and under 50ºF.  Heated garages, basements and deep closets are perfect.

·        Water the container every two to three weeks so that roots stay hydrated.

·        Bananas planted in the ground can be forced into dormancy, too, by cutting off all leaves (leave main stem intact) and digging up the plant, taking a good amount of the root systems.  Remove as much dirt as possible to lighten weight.  Place the root ball in a plastic tub, on a tarp or even in a heavy plastic trash bag.  Dampen root ball every few weeks.  Replant the next spring in the same spot where the banana grew previously.

Lift and Store:

·        Many exotics like Pretoria cannas and black taro grow from underground bulbs, tubers and corms.

·        When nights drop into the low 40’s, plant leaves will start to brown and die.  This is your cue to dig them up.

·        Remove dirt from the swollen portions, set on newspapers in a shady area or the garage to cure for a couple of days.  Cut off top growth.

·        Pack the bulbs, corms and tubers in a box filled with dry peat moss or vermiculite.

·        Store in a dark area where the temperature remains between 35ºF and 55ºF.  Plant again in the spring.

Which technique to use for what plant

Make it a tropical houseplant: agapanthus, banana, citrus, hibiscus, mandevilla.

Force it into dormancy: banana, bougainvillea, brugsmansia, datura, fig, passion flower, plumeria.

Lift & Store: amaryllis, caladium, calla lily, canna, dahlia, ginger, gloriosa lily, tuberous begonia.

Gloriosa Lily

These extra hardy tropical varieties take more cold than do others in their class.  Temperature given is the lowest at which the plant can survive without protection.  You can gain another five to ten degrees of cold tolerance if you mulch heavily, plant in a sheltered area and wrap plants.

Bananas:  Musa basjoo (-5ºF)

Citrus: Satsuma tangerine, Meyer lemon, Trifoliate orange (20ºF).

Figs: Celeste, Italian Honey, Hardy Chicago, Brown Turkey, Petite Negra (10ºF).

Passion Flowers: Passiflora Incarta, Passiflora Incense (-10ºF)