What is this plant, and can it be saved?!

[hereismydog]

DP got a plant for £1.50 in the clearance sale at the garden centre but doesn’t know what it is

It was doing very well, growing at a rate of knots and then it very dramatically withered and died when the weather turned cold. I’m almost certain it’s fully dead but he isn’t so sure.

Before we dig it up, can anyone please identify a) what it is and b) if it’s beyond saving. I’ve attached a before and after! Thank you 😊

It’s a banana 🍌😂

It’s herbaceous so dies in winter. You can protect them from frost by wrapping them if super precious about it. You haven’t so it may or may not come back.

If not just plant a new one in a couple of months.

Definitely a banana, if its a musa basjoo it will probably send up new shoots from underground.
If you had protected it over winter and it is a basjoo, the pseudostem would have survived, it might still have if you're in a mild area and it is in a sheltered spot. So there is a chance it could send a new leaf out of the top if its not all mushy.
If its one of the more delicate types it might be dead but leave it for a while and see what happens. If it does throw up new shoots but nothing happens with the stem chop the old stem off.

Yes, it's a banana plant. Some of them are hardy-ish in the UK, so keep your fingers crossed, you never know. Leave well alone, and with luck, it might start to sprout in a few weeks' time.

I have them and protect them with a plant fleece over winter.

They grow well on the coast.

Thanks all!

He’s decided to hold a wake (of sorts) until the first week of April to see if it springs to life if not, it’s RIP Mr Banana Plant.

DP cut away all the dead bits and there are FOUR new shoots in the soil the last one grew about 2 inches every day so I expect we will have a blooming banana tree (or four!) come Easter!