PlantFiles: Banana Shrub, Port Wine Magnolia
Michelia figo

Blooms here mid-April to early May. Grows on the east side of our house which is why I thought it did so well, but I see from postings it handles colder zones than listed. A wonderful evergreen shrub that most people are not familiar with. And you don't forget that Juicy Fruit gum fragrance!

I garden in Virginia Beach, Virginia and feel very fortunate to have a 15 ft. michelia figo bush on my property. I love it ! On a warm day it sends it's fragrance throughout the neighborhood. It is my most favorite specimen in my garden. My banana shrub is in full sun and seems to thrive in our humid climate. It is probably 30 yrs. old + .

I bought my Michelia 3 years ago on sale at a local nursery. It was small, scruffy, with very few leaves. It is now 6-7 feet tall, 7-8 feet wide, & very thick. The blooms are wonderfully fragrant, but it's a beautiful shrub even without them. I'm going to try to root some cuttings this year.

My banana shrub was purchased for me by my parents at Hodges Gardens in Louisiana nearly 20 years ago. It has been moved twice: once because it grew too large for its site, and once because I moved and did not want to leave it. It has been in its present spot 15 years and has grown taller than the usual descriptions (probably because it is searching for sun in a very shady location), but blooms profusely nevertheless. I love the fragrance, and in between bloomings it makes a dense evergreen mass. HUNTSPATCH

Being a new fan to the 'Banana Shrub', I've been doing as much research as possible, I'd like to share my findings.

One of the classic evergreen shrubs of the old south, the banana shrub, originally from China was introduced to United States in late 1700s. It was named after Pietro Antonio Michele, 1679-1737, a Florentine botanist.

Michelias will thrive in a compost of sandy loam and leaf mould, preferably acidic. They can be propagated, in summer, by cuttings of half-ripened shoots placed in sand, under a glass, in heat. (I would assume in shade)

Although they are not particularly fast growing, they may be pruned after blooming, but is best when allowed to grow to natural size and shape. The nursery specimens of banana shrub tend to look thin and scraggly, often with light spotted leaves, but thrive once they are planted in the ground. (I found a good shot of epsom salts greened it up quickly)

The shrub assumes a looser more open form when grown in shade. Grown in sunny situations, they tend to be more compact with denser foliage that is lighter and more of a yellow green.

I bought my Banana Shrub last spring and planted it in rich compost, not knowing but it has grown exceptionally.
I didn't know if it would make it through our harsh winter nights in upper South Carolina { zone 7 } , but I wrapped the base in burlap and piled about 6 inches of hay around the bottom of the plant and it came through beautifully, no problems!
It has not stopped blooming all spring and looks so healthy.

i have just planted one by my front steps . will see how it does next year. easily obtain here in s.c

A friend just gave me two banana shrubs, one gallon size. I haven't planted them yet as I want to get all the particulars on them. But I am very excited to get them as I have fond memories of them. Wish me luck!

The house right next door to our home where I spent a large part of my childhood in Gulfport, Mississippi, had a quite large banana shrub near the fence between our two properties, and we kids could reach through the fence and pick these wonderful smelling flowers that do smell like bananas. I have been searching for a banana shrub for years--I have never seen one in a nursery--and now I own the perfect property for growing it in Northcentral Florida, as the climate here is very much like the Mississippi Gulf Coast climate. A wonderful plant that deserves a place in every Coastal South garden.

I tried for several years to root this plant from cuttings with no success. There are two very large trees in our town and about two years ago I discovered seeds on both of these trees and now I have many seedlings of the tree. I have been sharing them with friends to help perserve it here in our town. One of these trees has a trunk on it of at least one foot in diameter.

You will love this plant if you like fragrance in the garden! It is in the Magnolia family but it bears numerous flowers on one branch rather than just one big flower. It is happy in moist, acidic soil that is well drained. It is a slow growing shrub and can be damaged by low, teen-level temperatures. This shurb makes a striking speciman plant for the patio. Use a balanced fertilizer such as 8-8-8 in late winter at the rate of 1 cup for mature plants. Spread around the root base. Banana shrub is usually not bothered by pests.