GROWING FAST, DIES FAST?

This is the Banana plant I bought just before Christmas when I first moved here to Texas.

This was how the banana plant looked like in May this year

It was one of the first five plants I bought when I moved here, and I didn’t have a clue about the soil, the bad drainage and the downpours. At first, I planted it close to the pool since the plant was so attractive, but the leaves blew to fringes at once and the plant sickened. I mowed it to the southwest corner of the garden. But I didn’t think much on the drainage when I planted it again. Though I use a load of vermiculite to make the soil a little looser.

This is how it looked in February. I rolled burlap around the two main stems for freeze protection.

So now I have built a raised bed around it. Without touching the growing site and without having the heart to dig the plant loose again and lift it up a little in the raised bed. Standing water will probably be a challenge and a problem this winter.

At the moment it thrives as there is no tomorrow. And in the view of the terrible drainage on its growing site, maybe there isn’t.