Musa basjoo Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS
Japanese Banana

Musa basjoo

£16.29 £16.99 SAVE 4%
Hardy in the UKSun-loving
Pot size
15cm / 1.5L £16.29

FREE tracked delivery on orders over £60

Complete the set up
Description

Musa basjoo, the Japanese banana, is the hardiest banana you can grow in a British garden and the fastest route to a genuinely tropical look outdoors. Native to the Ryukyu Islands of southern Japan, it sends up a stout green pseudostem topped with a fountain of huge, paddle-shaped leaves that can reach two metres long. Few plants deliver this much instant drama, which is exactly why the hardy banana has become a staple of jungle borders, courtyard gardens and exotic planting schemes across the UK.

What sets Musa basjoo apart from the tender bananas is its toughness. The clump is root-hardy to around -10C to -12C with a little winter protection, so unlike most of its relatives it can live outdoors year after year rather than being hauled indoors each autumn. In a long, warm summer an established plant may even throw up a curious cream flower spike followed by small green fruit, although these are seedy and ornamental rather than something to eat.

Key features

  • Massive, glossy bright-green leaves for a bold, jungle effect
  • The hardiest banana for UK gardens, root-hardy with protection
  • Fast-growing and clump-forming, ideal for exotic and architectural borders
  • Striking in the ground or in a large container on a sheltered terrace

To get the best from your Japanese banana plant, give it full sun in a warm, sheltered spot away from strong winds that tear the foliage. It is hungry and thirsty, so plant into deep, fertile, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil, water freely through the growing season and feed generously for the largest leaves. Mature clumps reach roughly 2.5 to 4 metres tall with a 2 to 3 metre spread, expanding steadily as offsets form around the base. Over winter, wrap the stem with straw or fleece and mulch the crown, or allow it to die back and protect the root, ready to reshoot in spring.

Every Musa basjoo UK plant we send out is nursery-grown, well rooted and selected for vigour, so it establishes quickly and rewards you with that unmistakable big-leaf, big-impact display season after season.

Live Arrival Guarantee

All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit, and every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something is not right on arrival, we will make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.

Find out more

What to Expect

Seasonal by nature: what to expect

  • Grown outdoors, the way nature intended. Weather-tested and hardened in real UK conditions, so they thrive in your garden. A few marks on the older leaves are normal, the sign of a tough, real plant rather than a flaw.
  • It follows the seasons. Depending on when you order, your plant may arrive cut back, dormant or leafless. That's healthy: dormancy is the ideal time to plant.
  • Posted, not posed. Big leafy plants like bananas and gingers may be trimmed or gently folded to travel safely. It does the plant no harm, and it powers away again in spring.

Not sure what to expect from yours? Dormant, cut-back or weather-marked plants are all perfectly healthy and normal. Read what to expect through the seasons

Delivery & returns

Order by 1pm Monday to Friday for same day dispatch. Every plant travels in protective, plant-safe packaging with tracked delivery.

Changed your mind? See our Return Policy.

Best quality plants guaranteed
7 day live arrival guarantee
Delivered to your door with care
Earn 81 points with this plant · 5 points per £1 Join free

How to care for Japanese Banana

Plant me in full sun and I will stand a UK winter outdoors.

In their words

What our customers say

Arrived just like the photos - maybe even fuller. Healthy, well-acclimated, and straight into my collection with no issues.

Emily P.

Flawless leaves, stunning variegation, and clearly cared for by experts. It’s already a talking point in my home office.

James R.

Hard to find rare plants that are pet-safe. Ours arrived in perfect condition and looks amazing without any worry.

Sophie L.
Get to know me

About Japanese Banana

Musa basjoo needs full sun and moist but well-drained soil. It is hardy to around −10°C, standing an average UK winter outdoors.

Good for

Architectural Exotic Borders Pots & Containers

Hardiness

TenderVery hardy

Hardy Exotic (H4): down to around −10°C. Hardy through an average UK winter.

Hardy to around -10C to -12C at the root with protection (RHS H4). The pseudostem is killed by hard frost, so in autumn wrap the trunk with straw or fleece and mulch the crown thickly; in milder gardens it can stay outdoors all year, while in cold or exposed sites it is best treated as root-hardy and allowed to reshoot from the base each spring. Read moreShow less

Hardy to around -10C to -12C at the root with protection (RHS H4). The pseudostem is killed by hard frost, so in autumn wrap the trunk with straw or fleece and mulch the crown thickly; in milder gardens it can stay outdoors all year, while in cold or exposed sites it is best treated as root-hardy and allowed to reshoot from the base each spring.

Position

Full sunSouth-facingWest-facingSheltered
Plant in full sun in a warm, sheltered spot out of strong winds, which shred the large leaves. A south or west-facing position against a wall gives the best growth and the most tropical effect. Read moreShow less

Plant in full sun in a warm, sheltered spot out of strong winds, which shred the large leaves. A south or west-facing position against a wall gives the best growth and the most tropical effect.

Soil

ChalkClayLoamSandMoist but well-drainedAcid pHAlkaline pHNeutral pH
Thrives in deep, fertile, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil on any pH. Improve poorer ground with plenty of organic matter and feed generously through the growing season for the largest leaves. Read moreShow less

Thrives in deep, fertile, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil on any pH. Improve poorer ground with plenty of organic matter and feed generously through the growing season for the largest leaves.

Watering

Water freely and regularly through the first two summers and during dry spells, as this is a hungry, thirsty grower; reduce watering in winter so the crown does not sit wet and cold. Read moreShow less

Water freely and regularly through the first two summers and during dry spells, as this is a hungry, thirsty grower; reduce watering in winter so the crown does not sit wet and cold.

Mature size

Height2.5-4 m
Spread2-3 m

Reaches full size in 5-10 years

Growth habit

Clump-forming

Flowering

Jul-Sep · Cream

Seasonal colour

Foliage

Deciduous

Pruning

Remove frost-damaged leaves in spring; if the top is killed it reshoots from the base, so leave the protected stem standing.

Toxicity

No toxic effects reported; generally considered non-toxic to people and pets.

Native range

Ryukyu Islands, southern Japan

Family

Musaceae

Also known as

Musa basjoo

Genus

Musa →
Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Musa basjoo hardy in the UK?

Yes, it is the hardiest banana commonly grown and is root-hardy across much of the UK. The leafy pseudostem is cut back by frost, but with the trunk wrapped or the crown well mulched the plant survives winter and reshoots vigorously in spring.

How big does it grow?

In a warm, sheltered garden it can reach 2.5 to 4 metres tall with a spread of 2 to 3 metres, forming a clump of paddle-shaped leaves up to 2 metres long. Plants that die back to the ground each winter will be a little shorter the following year.

Does it produce edible bananas?

It can flower and set small green fruit in long hot summers, but the bananas are full of hard seeds and are not edible. Musa basjoo is grown as a dramatic foliage plant for its huge architectural leaves rather than for a crop.

How do I protect it over winter?

In autumn cut off frosted leaves, then wrap the pseudostem in straw or horticultural fleece and apply a thick dry mulch over the crown. In very cold or wet gardens you can let it die back and simply protect the root, where it will resprout from the base.

Can I grow it in a pot?

Yes, it grows well in a large, heavy container of rich, free-draining compost, which also makes it easy to move to a frost-free shed or greenhouse over winter. Container plants need frequent watering and feeding in summer to keep the foliage lush.

Does my plant come with a pot?
Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.

It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.

If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit.
How big will my plant be when it arrives?
Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.

If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.

That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look.
What makes your plants different from the supermarket or garden centre?
There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.

Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.

When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.

We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box.
What should I do when my plant arrives?
First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.

Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.

It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.

Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.

Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help.
Will my plant survive being shipped?
Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.

During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.

That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 48 hours with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.

The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.
Meet the family

Everything about Musa

Banana plant care comes down to light, warmth, and generous watering. Here is how to grow Musa well as a fast, leafy houseplant in the UK.

More about Musa care
Musa Care Guide
Why Grow Tropicals

Plants delivered the way they deserve

Packaged with Care

Packaged with Care

Every order is hand-packed in eco-friendly, protective packaging - refined through thousands of deliveries to ensure your plant arrives healthy, hydrated, and looking its best.

Backed by our Live Arrival Guarantee.

Perfect for Gifting

Perfect for Gifting

From rare collector’s pieces to easy-care favourites, our plants arrive fully potted and ready to enjoy. Add a personalised note at checkout for a thoughtful finishing touch.

Delivered fresh, beautiful, and gift-ready.

Sustainability at Heart

Sustainability at Heart

All plants are ethically sourced from trusted growers, never wild-collected. Every order ships carbon-neutral in minimal-waste packaging.

Good for your home - and the planet.

Verified reviews

Rated by real customers

You may also like

We recommend
Musa basjoo
£16.29 £16.99