Musa Basjoo in Canada
 

Hi everyone, I’m wondering if anyone knows where I could get or order Musa Basjoos in Canada. I’m located in Alberta. Thanks!

Re: Musa Basjoo in Canada
 

You can get them either from members on here, or some nurseries sell them :) I found my first one out front a dominion 10 years ago. You might not have the same stores as here in Ontario.

Re: Musa Basjoo in Canada
 

As this is the most common variety available in Canada, I'd check out your local Canadian Tire, Walmart or Home Depot.
Otherwise you can do mail order from a number of sources but the plants would be smaller and you're dealing with shipping costs. You could try Phoenix Perennials here in BC because its closer than Ontario and therefore cheaper shipping.

https://mailorder.phoenixperennials....ana_p/1953.htm

DO NOT try to ship lives plants across the border, there's a good chance you will lose it in customs. If you do happen to cross the border, you can legally bring in bananas (they're considered houseplants according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency) as long as the plant is not too big - it must look like a houseplant - and you declare it. If you don't declare and get caught you get big trouble.

Re: Musa Basjoo in Canada
 

LOL that's where 90% of mine have come from. Most recently, Last week a member from Washington state sent me a Raja Puri and it got here in under a week. With tropical plant or banana plant on the customs form every time. People get too scared easily.

Re: Musa Basjoo in Canada
 

I've visited every nursery, garden centre, and greenhouse in Ottawa and I've only ever seen Musa Basjoo at 2 locations: Rona at Hunt Club/Merivale 4 years ago, and Artistic Landscape Design on Bank.

Every garden centre sells bananas, but usually just SDC, DC, ensete Maurelii, or musa Margarita. Other varieties are rare.

I only mention this because I'm surprised to hear that people are finding them all over the place. I wish that was the case!

Re: Musa Basjoo in Canada
 

we have an ace hardware that sells basjoo. short drive.

Re: Musa Basjoo in Canada
 

I actually bought a couple (as if I really needed any more) last summer on clearance from Walmart, with a 4ft foot stem, for $10 each

Perhaps m. basjoo are so common in BC (Vancouver) is because they are winter hardy here and don't require any special winter care......just plant them in your garden and they come back every spring without issue. I've even seen numerous plants that have flowered and produced fruit locally (please don't hate us for our mild winters)

FYI, you can also mail order from Mike at Montreal Plants - I've had him ship me plants in the past, including special order bananas.

You searched for banana - English

Re: Musa Basjoo in Canada
 

That would certainly be the reason why basjoos would be more common.

I've used Mike before, particularly for trachycarpus fortunei. I wonder if he'd have musa velutina or veinte cohol?

Re: Musa Basjoo in Canada
 

Nothing listed but I know he had a whole list of plants that he had available from other vendors - this was in 2013 but I'm sure he still has his sources for importing (the plants he brought in for me originated from Texas).

Send him an email but you might have to wait until next spring - we communicated over the winter (during the off season) and then he brought them in for spring......he brought in rojo, gran nain and mekong giant for me.