Planting Advice

Welcome to GoY.
T. hirta will thrive in a semi shady aspect. I have them at the edge of my very shady border. plant with plenty of leaf mould or compost in the soil. They are fully hardy in this country They flower in the autumn.

Cant help with the Musa but sure someone will.

This is condensed from the easy tropicals website, I don’t grow musas myself. For musa lasiocarpa, if it is under approximately two feet tall over winter it indoors. After that when it is about 2 years old or more it can be planted outside and wintered outdoors by cutting the stem to 90 cm in height before frosts are due. The stem needs to wrapped in horticultural fleece, and covered with a compost bin with a lid to keep out the wet. You can also cut the stem to ground level and cover with a bark chippings mulch but it will take longer for the plant to grow again in the summer. It will need to be uncovered April - May after frosts have passed. The soil it is planted in needs to be well drained as the stem can rot in clay soil.

Your particular species likes to dry out a little between watering. Musas look much better if placed in a sheltered site as wind tends to shred their leaves. They grow best in full sun but can tolerate part shade. If the musa is kept in a pot it will need controlled release fertiliser with trace elements. Multi purpose compost can be used for a pot, if you can add some perlite then this will help with drainage.

I think banana plants look fantastic, I hope you have success with yours.