Banana plants

[justpoppy]

We moved last year to a house with a lovely banana plant (have been told that’s what it is anyway!) in the corner of a north facing border. Neither of us know much about gardening and didn’t realise that we should have protected it over winter. My question is, should I cut all the dead brown stuff right back to the trunks or leave it as it is and see what happens? There are some green shoots below all the dead brown stuff but there seems to be very little info online about how to care for them. Any advice welcome! Thanks

I don't think they are dead... I've just unwrapped mine and they look quite similar.

I'd leave them be for a little while and see what happens ... maybe feed them a bit - when they go start growing it's usually rapid

Leave them. They'll probably sprout again in a few weeks. It has been a mild winter.

Thanks both. I’ll leave it for now then. I was hoping that would be the answer.

I found this

Musa basjoo - Japanese Banana
(9)
Read customer reviews
This fantastic architectural banana plant will create a great impact in any garden! (Does not produce fruit!)
Fan like leaves spreading out through the air will create wonderful shadows on your patio.
Hailing from Japan, it loves sunshine but it is hardy to -6C when protected - perfect for the UK climate!
Brilliant if planted into a large pot it will create a real tropical feel to your garden.
Supplied as 30cm+ tall in a 1L pot. NOTE: In Winter the leaves will die back and turn brown, but re-grow in Spring. Don't panic!

could that be it?

@GraceArcher I hope so. It’s massive and seems pretty well established. I don’t think previous owners were gardeners either as the rest of the bed was very overgrown so I doubt they wrapped it in winter and it produced beautiful big leaves right through the autumn.