I had a dream last night...
 

.... about planting a banana. It's getting very close to gardening time here in the Dallas area and I'm so excited to plant my FIRST banana in the ground! I'm debating if I want to go with the "ordinary" one that's in most nurseries or something more exotic. What do you think?

Re: I had a dream last night...
 

If you haven't grown them before, it might be wise to get one from a local nursery, suited to your zone. Then you can learn what to do and what not to do before spending a lot on a more exotic type.
Good luck!

Re: I had a dream last night...
 

May I suggest that taste be a primary consideration, then in Texas one that take some cold weather. Chironex is right when he says check out the local nurseries first for suggestions.

Best wishes

Re: I had a dream last night...
 

I can't wait to get out there this year too. Gotta little time here in Ohio. Maybe it's just me but I think they are all exotic. Good luck this year.

Re: I had a dream last night...
 

i have a standing date with my mom to go to my fav gh and start picking out plants for me.....um i mean her.

Re: I had a dream last night...
 

What's "normal" & what's "exotic"?
I have I.C., Dbl Mahoi, Siam Ruby & RajaPuri. What's exotic?

Re: I had a dream last night...
 

I took exotic to mean those more rare in cultivation and difficult to grow in less than ideal conditions. Like Dwarf Namwah Pearl that just seems to die no matter what one does, or M. gracilis, M. violascens, Ingens, E. perrieri, M. intinerans var 'Xishuangbannaensis' which are hard to find in the U.S.

Re: I had a dream last night...
 

Gardener, you might want to consider the Texas Star banana which is an edible that was discovered in Texas. I think you can find them at a couple places. Search for it in the search engine. I know Chong got his from Ty Ty Nursery, but many people have expressed some concerns about them. So you may want to talk with Chong directly.

Re: I had a dream last night...
 

we have at least till may 1st before i put anything of mine outside. i had a horrible nightmare about it staying 22* outside all year long and nothing could get outside.

Re: I had a dream last night...
 

Chironex, is that hardy in the Dallas area, 7b/8a?

Re: I had a dream last night...
 

Yes. it is one of the most cold hardy edible bananas. They have the story on it on the Ty Ty website. Check it out. Texas Star Banana Tree, Banana Tree Varieties from The Nursery at TyTy

Re: I had a dream last night...
 

Excuse my intrusion Chironex,

I know that the Europe is a little different about this, but I have read about people in zone 8 from France and Spain not succeding in using zone 7 bananas. Even with Musa 'Texas Star' I would be extremely careful. You never know. And considering the freezes there were in warmer regions. I don't know. It's dangerous.

I'm zone 7b/8a too, Europe though, but I wouldn't dare to leave ANY edible cultivar or plantain out there. They are just without many chances...

Re: I had a dream last night...
 

Jack Daw, do you leave ANY banana in the ground?

Re: I had a dream last night...
 

Never.

Re: I had a dream last night...
 

European hardiness zones are measured differently from North American ones, Jack. You have to look at (and compare) the minimum temperatures between them for more accuracy. The US zones are even different from the South American ones (ie I'm in US Zone 13, and Ecuador Zone 5, and Australia heat zone 7. You can see how this could become confusing.)

Re: I had a dream last night...
 

Interesting!

Re: I had a dream last night...
 

'Orinoco' or 'Dw. Orinoco' would probably be a good one for you to start with. I will have some 'Orinoco' pups a bit later on if you want to wait. I understand, though, if you're itching to get going and don't want to wait.

Re: I had a dream last night...
 

That's why I prefer Koppen-Geiger climate map (which isn't specialized for any part fo the world), as you can see the value in my profile (zone), it's THE best climate map in the world, as it doesn't only consider the minimal temperatures (like USDA), but also annual precipation, summer extremes, winter extremes, speed of winds, tornados, humidity, huricanes and other dangerous elements, elevation... and after evaluating them, the map connects the places in the world, where the climate is so similar, that almost any crop grown in one place, can also be grown in other places with the same assignment.

To see the Koppen-Geiger map explanation, see Köppen climate classification - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

To get a picture of high-res map click here. Individual descriptions of individual areas are detaily explained here or here.

Please note, that this map is supposed to advice, what climate is identical, it doesn't consider biological factors, such as bacteria, viruses, which could affect the ability of individual plants to adapt and/or grow. In general, places coloured the same are supposed to be able to grow the same things. That's the main point of this climate classification.

USDA is made for USA, however the world is much more diverse, some places are hotter, less humid, winters are different, that's the problem and that's why I generally don't use that classification for other puroposes, than to demonstrate the lowest winter temperatures (annualy about -12°C, sometimes more, sometimes less).

Cheers to Ecuador... ;)