RobG7aChattTN

The only really cold hardy red variegated banana that is reliable in zone 7 with mulch only for protection is Musa sikkimensis (and only some are variegated). There aren't any with white variegation that I know of that will over-winter in the ground. It is very difficult to over-winter a fruiting banana and keep the pseudostem alive long enough to get fruit. Most people will dig them up and store the corms with pseudostems in a garage or crawl-space over the winter and plant them back out in spring. I've gotten Raja Puri and Orinoco to survive in the ground with only mulch as protection but I never got any fruit so I decided that I'd be better off with other varieties (like regular basjoo). From an ornamental stand point...Musa velutina is really pretty. It has nice bright pink blooms and pink bananas. They even ripen in one season, but yes, they are full of seeds. I've had luck with Musa ornata for a few winters with only mulch as protection. They have nice blooms and colorful fruit like velutina but the stems are also nicely colored. I managed to over-winter several Ensete maurellii but it was more like a zone 8 winter. I think any normal winter would kill them all unless they were protected with extreme means. Musella lasiocarpa is very tough and should overwinter well for you. It even takes the light frosts better than Musa basjoo. I personally haven't tried to overwinter Ice Cream in the ground, but I doubt it would make it.