Hardy Banana vs Nodding Onion - TreeTime.ca

Hardy Banana vs Nodding Onion

Musa basjoo

Allium cernuum

CUSTOM GROW

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Hardy Banana
Nodding Onion

The Hardy Banana is a fast-growing evergreen perennial that dies down to the ground each year. A stunning tropical-looking accent for your yard and patio, the Japanese Fiber Banana can be overwintered outdoors in several northern U.S. states and southern Canadian regions. In northern regions, you can bring this plant inside and leave it in your garage. If you enjoy Mexican cuisine, you can use the leaves to make tamales.

Nodding Onion is a native perennial wildflower known for its nodding clusters of flowers that range in color from white to pink to purple. The lightly scented blooms provide pollen and nectar for pollinators, especially bees, which can collect while hanging upside down, a capability most other insects lack.

The narrow, grass-like leaves of the Nodding Onion can be used as a seasoning in cooked dishes, though bulbs and raw leaves should not be eaten in large quantities. All parts of the plant have an onion-like aroma when bruised, which helps deter deer and rabbits. They can self-seed readily, so removing spent blooms helps manage their spread. Tolerant of a range of soils, including alkaline, it is well-suited for a variety of plantings, including pollinator gardens and naturalization projects.

Hardy Banana Quick Facts

Nodding Onion Quick Facts

Zone: 5a
Zone: 3a
Height: 3 m (10 ft)
Height: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Spread: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Spread: 0.2 m (0.5 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: very fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: upright to spreading, clump-forming
Spreading: seeds - high
Suckering: high
Maintenance: medium
Maintenance: medium


Toxicity: raw leaves and bulbs can be midly toxic
Foliage: smells of onion when crushed, edible
Flowers: large cream to yellow
Flowers: white, pink, or purple nodding clusters
Bloom time: late spring to summer
Fruit: Large inedible
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, ON
Other Names: japanese banana, japanese fibre banana
Other Names: ladys leek, nodding wild onion