Help!!! I've bought a "Ensete / Ventricosum" !

[Return2thebasic]

I really fell in love with the plant when I saw it in the garden centre. I confess I didn't read the label properly, as DS was begging me to go to see water fountains.

So I was both shocked and amused when I came home and realised it can grow to 4m x 4m! I definitely have no room for giant plant like that, no matter how beautiful it becomes!

Any advice please? Do I have to ditch the poor plant after a season?

Maybe it won’t survive? If it does, could you just keep it in a big pot to restrict size, enjoy it for a few years then sell it on?

Winter Hardiness – Not really hardy outside in UK. I have tried leaving these outside for the winter in Chalk, Kent, without success. The first frosts burn the leaves but the stem remains green. In more severe winters they freeze right through, but in the milder winters they remain green right the way through to March or April, but then seem to rot. Conclusion : Our winters are just too long and the coldest nights are more than the Wild Ensete can take, However, the the Ensete ventricosum cultivars are bred to produce crops higher up into the mountains, up to 3,300m (10,750ft) and some are capable of taking several degrees of frost
www.hardytropicals.co.uk/exotics/bananas/ensete-ventricosum/

@Heyyeahyouwiththesadface, thanks for the information! I do hope it can survive - really lovely leaves full of gorgeous life. But yes, I notice it's a tender plant... so... I will first see if I can keep it alive after a year...before worrying about how tall it grows to.

Thank you. :)

Just noticed Shootgarden.co.uk says
"Ensete ventricosum (Ethiopian banana) will reach a height of 4m and a spread of 4m after 10-20 years."

I think I would have some time to enjoy it if I could keep it alive going through winters.