The banana shrub is a tropical to subtropical elegant tree to bush. The scientific designation is Michelia figo, and the plant is hardy in the warmer USDA plant hardiness zones 7 to 10. If you are a warm region gardener, you should explore how to grow banana shrubs and experience the sweet fragrant flowers with a scent reminiscent of our favorite yellow fruits.
I. Appearance and Characteristics
Magnolia figo (also called banana shrub, port wine magnolia, Michelia figo) is an evergreen tree in the magnolia genus. It grows to 3–4 meters (10–13 feet) tall. It is native to China.
Initially described by Portuguese missionary and naturalist João de Loureiro as Liriodendron figo, it was reclassified as Michelia figo by German botanist Curt Polycarp Joachim Sprengel. In 2006, a cladistic analysis of the genus Michelia found them to lie within the genus Magnolia, with the name now being Magnolia figo.
It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in gardens for its fragrant flowers, which are cream-white and sometimes yellow, purple rounded, or light-purple, and strongly scented with isoamyl alcohol. It is also popular to keep M. figo as a houseplant. Flower buds, as well as new leaves, are covered with hairs, giving it a texture similar to that of velvet. The leaves are leathery, dark glossy-green, up to 10 cm long. This plant is used in Shanghai, China, as a tall evergreen hedge. It grows very slowly and matures into a large evergreen compact tree. It grows in acid and alkaline soil very well, but is susceptible to black soot.
II. How to Grow and Care
Sunlight
Banana shrub thrives in full sun or part shade. Plants grown in the sun will mature to a smaller size and have a more compact habit and their leaves will take on a lighter shade of green with a yellow hue. Plants grown in light shade have deeper green foliage and a slightly open, spreading habit.
Temperature and Humidity
Banana shrub is only reliably winter-hardy in Zone 8 and above. If you live in a colder climate, grow it in a large planter and overwinter it indoors. Keep the room temperature between 60 and 85 degrees F and make sure the relative humidity is at least 50%. The plant is not suitable for a hot, arid climate.
Watering
Whether grown in the sun in a mixed shrub border or in a container, new specimen plants need more water when young. After planting, water your young plants again once the water seeps into the ground.
Repeat the process up to five times to get the soil evenly moist. After three days of planting, ensure to water deeply again and then again five days after planting. The banana shrub develops a deep root system; you can water sparingly once established.
The plant is fairly drought-tolerant once it matures. For container plants, ensure enough drainage holes allow excess moisture to drain out to prevent root rot.
Soil
An important thing to consider when you plant banana shrubs is the soil. The banana shrub can grow in large containers or in the garden. The plant also prefers being slightly root bound.
Hence, we recommend planting your nursery specimens root ball with soil line as with any other shrubs. Then provide them with slightly acidic soil if you have clay or chalk soil.
You can add a layer of peat moss to help raise the acidity. If the soil in your area remains wet, you need not worry, as it can cope with compact soil.
You can also add some organic material to the soil. Still, for container growing, we recommend well-drained sandy soil instead.
Fertilizing
In early spring, you can add some organic matter to the soil for your banana shrub grown in the landscape. New growth emerges at this time of the year and will need a higher nitrogen content to develop those green leaves and cream-yellow blooms.
Alternatively, you can use a broad-spectrum fertilizer as well. Later in the season, with heavy rains during the growing season, you can give them a lighter feed. Use a fertilizer with potassium, like potash applied during the fall.
Planting Instructions
Plant the shrub in the spring after all danger of frost has passed. Dig a hole at least twice the size of the root ball and just as deep. Place the shrub in the hole and backfill with the original soil so the soil line from the nursery pot is slightly higher than the surrounding soil level.
Tamp down the soil and water it well. Keep the soil moist and water it regularly during the first growing season to encourage a strong root system.
Space plants 12 feet apart, closer if planted as a hedge.
Pruning
The tree responds well to annual pruning. Pruning banana shrubs should be done when the plant is most dormant in winter or spring before new growth emerges. Always use sharp, clean cutting implements to prevent transferring diseases from plant to plant. Cut just after a bud node and remove any branch back to the branch collar where it sprung from the parent wood. Remove any dead or broken plant material and continue training young plants.
Use a stake and tree sling when trees are forming to help support the young growth. Remove these items when the plant is established and strong. Michelia banana shrubs tend to grow straighter in one central leader in lower light situations but in full sun they require more pruning maintenance. You can even keep the trees trimmed in a low habit so you can grow them in a container.
Propagation
Banana shrubs are best propagated from softwood cuttings taken in the summer. Take a cutting of a stem tip about 4 to 6 inches in length. Leave all the leaves except for the ones at the bottom. Dip the cut end in rooting hormone powder and insert it in a 4-inch pot filled with damp potting mix. Keep the pot in a warm place with bright light but out of direct sunlight. Keep the cutting moist by misting it regularly.
After 4 to 6 weeks, the cutting should start rooting. Give it time to grow into a vigorous small plant before transplanting it in a garden bed or a larger container.
Potting and Repotting
Use a container with large drainage holes and fill it with a well-draining quality potting mix. The container should be 8 inches larger in diameter than the root ball, which will give the plant sufficient space for at least a couple of years before repotting becomes necessary.
To repot a banana shrub, choose a container one size up from its current pot. Gently remove the shrub from its container and place it in the new pot, filling around the root ball with fresh potting mix. Water well and regularly.
Keep in mind that container-grown plants need more frequent watering than plants in the landscape Although the banana shrub is fairly drought-tolerant, a potted plant needs regular watering.
Pests and Diseases
The banana shrub’s common problems are leaf scorch, nutrient deficiency, or fungal diseases.
- When the leaves have brown spots, it can result from standing in full sun in extreme heat. For this reason, provide your banana shrub with direct sun in the morning with light shade in the afternoon. Also, ensure the plant receives enough water in the summer.
- Yellow leaves result from inadequate nutrition as the soil is too alkaline. So, if you see yellowish-green leaves, it can be an iron deficiency. You can add some organic material to lower the pH.
- Leaves with black spots result from a fungal disease where the humidity is high. You can treat it with a copper-based fungicide and remove diseased branches.
- The banana shrub has few pest problems, but you can find scales, caterpillars, and aphids feeding on the foliage. You can use a horticultural oil spray as a preventative measure.
III. Types of Banana Shrub
- Port Wine
This cultivar has rose to maroon flowers that fade to a cream color as they age. The foliage is evergreen and glossy. It is a slow grower, reaching 8 to 12 feet in height and 6 to 10 feet in width. Zone 8-10
- Royal Robes
It is not only the purple to deep burgundy flowers of this cultivar that is different from the species. The fragrance is different, too. ‘Royal Robes’ has less of the typical aroma of ripe banana; it has a more spicy fragrance instead. After its spring bloom, around May, it may sporadically develop a few flowers again over the summer. Zone 7-9
- Serendipity
Magnolia x ‘Serendipity’ is a hybrid variety with larger, creamy white flowers that also blooms more profusely than the species. Serendipity is also slightly more winter-hardy. Zone 7-9
IV. Uses and Benefits
This wonderful small evergreen tree is great for small gardens and is easily able to be carefully trimmed to keep its shape, this also makes it good for use as a hedge, topiary or used in a large container. Plant where you will be able to enjoy the sweet scent of its flowers. Easily able to be incorporated into mixed shrub plantings too.
