Musella laciocarpa – golden lotus banana plant
€70.00
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Description
Quick Facts
- Botanical Name: Musella lasiocarpa
- Common Name: Golden Lotus Banana
- Plant Type: Tropical-looking perennial (banana relative)
- Mature Height: 1–1.5m (sometimes a little taller in ideal conditions)
- Mature Spread: 1–1.5m
- Flowering Period: Summer to autumn (once mature)
- Flower Colour: Golden-yellow (lotus-like flower bract)
- Foliage Colour: Fresh green, broad banana-style leaves
- Hardiness: Surprisingly hardy with protection (best treated as borderline-hardy in Ireland & the UK)
- Soil Requirements: Moist, fertile, well-drained soil
- Aspect: Sun to part shade; sheltered from wind
- Maintenance: Moderate (water/feed well; protect in winter)
Description
Musella lasiocarpa is one of those plants that stops you in your tracks — lush, banana-like leaves and a truly unusual, golden lotus-shaped flower that looks almost too perfect to be real. It brings instant exotic drama to patios and borders, yet it’s more manageable than many bananas, staying compact and clump-forming rather than racing skywards. Give it warmth, shelter and steady moisture, and it becomes a gorgeous, architectural feature for summer and beyond.
Caragh Garden Notebook
Planting:
Plant out after the risk of hard frost has passed, or pot up into a generous container with excellent drainage. Choose a warm, sheltered position (wind shreds banana leaves). Enrich the soil with compost and plant at the same depth as it was in the pot. Water well and mulch to conserve moisture.
Plant out after the risk of hard frost has passed, or pot up into a generous container with excellent drainage. Choose a warm, sheltered position (wind shreds banana leaves). Enrich the soil with compost and plant at the same depth as it was in the pot. Water well and mulch to conserve moisture.
Watering:
Water generously during the growing season — this is a lush plant and it performs best with consistent moisture. In pots, check frequently in warm weather. Reduce watering in autumn and winter when growth slows.
Water generously during the growing season — this is a lush plant and it performs best with consistent moisture. In pots, check frequently in warm weather. Reduce watering in autumn and winter when growth slows.
Feeding:
Feed well from late spring through summer with a balanced fertiliser (or a high-nitrogen feed early in the season to build leaf, then a balanced feed). A rich mulch in spring helps keep it powering on.
Feed well from late spring through summer with a balanced fertiliser (or a high-nitrogen feed early in the season to build leaf, then a balanced feed). A rich mulch in spring helps keep it powering on.
Seasonal Care & Tidy-Up:
Remove tatty leaves as needed. In exposed gardens, expect some leaf damage in wind — it’s normal, and new leaves will replace them quickly in summer.
Remove tatty leaves as needed. In exposed gardens, expect some leaf damage in wind — it’s normal, and new leaves will replace them quickly in summer.
Winter care (Ireland & UK):
Musella is more cold-tolerant than it looks, but wet cold is the enemy. In the ground, mulch heavily around the base in late autumn and consider fleece/straw protection in colder areas. In pots, move to a sheltered spot (against a wall, under cover) and keep the compost on the drier side through winter.
Musella is more cold-tolerant than it looks, but wet cold is the enemy. In the ground, mulch heavily around the base in late autumn and consider fleece/straw protection in colder areas. In pots, move to a sheltered spot (against a wall, under cover) and keep the compost on the drier side through winter.
Pests & Problems:
Generally trouble-free. Watch for slugs on young growth and keep an eye out for red spider mite if grown under cover in very dry conditions.
Generally trouble-free. Watch for slugs on young growth and keep an eye out for red spider mite if grown under cover in very dry conditions.
Design Notes:
Perfect for creating an instant tropical feel with cannas, colocasia, tetrapanax, tree ferns, grasses and big-leaved perennials. It’s also stunning as a statement in a large pot, where the golden flower can be enjoyed up close.
Perfect for creating an instant tropical feel with cannas, colocasia, tetrapanax, tree ferns, grasses and big-leaved perennials. It’s also stunning as a statement in a large pot, where the golden flower can be enjoyed up close.
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