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Olafhenny · 05-01-2011, 08:42 PM

Hi Clare,

thank you very much for this link. It taught me a lot. When I first encountered the Ornata in Vietnam,
I had never heard of it. The prime appeal to me, living in Zone 6, was that it was small enough to take
inside as a house plant during winter, although as I learned from you it might suffer a bit due to the dry
conditions in the house. The size and potential to be a winter houseplant made me think, "I scored a coup".

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clare_CA

Hi JaNan! I don't think it is that one. I think I had the name wrong. I think it is Musa ornata 'Dusty Rose.' I got it from Going Bananas earlier this year. It was about 8 months to flowering from just a little thing.

I was wondering how long it would take to bloom, since almost all I saw in Vietnam had blooming mother plants,
when I saw them and they did not look like they were raised elsewhere and then transplanted for display into
that park, since the ground covers growing around some of them appeared undisturbed.

Such a high ratio of flowering period to maturing makes them even more attractive to me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clare_CA

M. ornata is fairly easy to grow and multiplies quickly. I had some in large pots, but they outgrew them within a year, and I had to take them out: Musa ornata 'Rose' blooming

I have since gotten rid of mine since they multiply and spread so quickly, but if yours don't succeed, you can buy them from here: Going Bananas of Homestead Florida Banana & Banana Plant Descriptions -

Good luck!

That they multiply so quickly appears to be confirmed by the fact, that the one I brought home from Vietnam
had a fairly well developed pup plus seven nodes for more, of which two have now broken ground.

Best,
Olaf