Wrapping The Bananas In Horticultural Fleece and Hessian

As the end of October approaches, although there is no sign of frost being forecast, the team are taking no chances with the banana plants. The hardy Musa basjoo are protected with fleece every year but with the worry of a harsh, cold winter on the horizon, it's just a feeling in their bones, an extra layer, hessian, has been added over the top for further protection.

This year the less hardy banana plants in the herbaceous border, Ensete ventricosum and Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii', which are now too large to get in the greenhouse and too heavy to dig up, have also been left in situ and covered in the hope that they too will survive through the winter. As with the Musa basjoo, the giant leaves have been folded down around the trunks, then a layer of horticultural fleece wrapped around them with hessian over the top.