mrbungalow

The key is to choose the right species or cultivar, depending on what your goal is.

If your goal is foliage and large plants go for musa basjoo. Some of the more hardy himalayan species are interesting and colourful too, such as sikkimensis, balbisiana, cheesmani, and nagensium. There is less info about ultimate cold hardiness on these species though. None of these are considered edible.

If your goal is fruit, maybe you should try rajapuri, orinoco, chini-champa, or dwarf brazilian. From what I understand, getting fruit in a zone 8 climate is challenging but not impossible.

In my experience, it's best to leave the bananas in ground, -after stems have grown to atleast 2 feet. As they spread their root-system, they will grow faster the following season in ground than they ever would in a pot.

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