The Abyssinian banana has strong, stiff, green leaves with a bold red midrib and a white bloom on the undersides. In its native home it can reach huge proportions forming a trunk over 3ft in diameter! Not hardy here in the UK (it will stand only light frosts) it is normally grown as fresh summer bedding each year or is over-wintered in a bright frost-free place to produce large striking plants. In the summer this banana can produce a new leaf every week.

Musa Acuminata is a widespread, highly variable and prolific species of banana that is the primary parent of modern edible (and many ornamental) bananas. These seeds have been collected from the wild bananas in the Manipur region of India.

This is a large and robust relative of Musa Sikkimensis. With its large bright green leaves it will make an impressive garden specimen. Its hardiness is as yet untested but is expected to be similar to that of Sikkimensis. New to cultivation in the UK and rather rare.

A small, pretty banana, which is grown mainly for its attractive lavender inflorescence. It may also produce small, ornamental, (inedible), yellow bananas if the flowers are hand pollinated. Very happy growing in a pot. Not hardy, but it's small stature means it can be easily over-wintered indoors.

An attractive hardy banana, which shows leaf markings every bit as striking as Musa Zebrina in about half of the seedlings. Mature Musa Sikkimensis rootstock will survive most winters down to around -10 or colder with a little extra protection. Fast growing.

Lovely dwarf (4-5ft) banana which blooms reliably, even indoors once established; it may even bloom in its first year. The exotic flowers (inflorescence) are pink to orange and are followed by bright, velvety, pink bananas. The fruit is edible - but beware, they are full of hard seeds! Rootstock will survive outside with some winter protection. Musa Velutina also makes a good houseplant.

A fast growing banana that forms huge leaves (up to 20ft long in its tropical home) arranged in a fan shape. However, in the UK it is easily kept as a beautiful indoor banana. For those of you who like to know such things the name comes from two unusual features - firstly the fan shaped leaf structure tends to grow East-West and secondly, when cut, the leaves provide refreshment to the (desperate!) thirsty traveller.

Also known as the Blue or White Bird of Paradise, Nicolai is a very large Strelitzia that produces clusters of blue and white bird-like flowers. Very striking. A little patience will reward you with a stunning plant that you won't find in the garden centres.

A slower growing banana relative that is much loved by flower arrangers. Grown mostly for its beautiful flowers, which resemble the head of an exotic bird. Strelitzia also produces attractive, thick evergreen leaves that are slightly bluish-green. It will require about 3 or 4 years before it reaches flowering size, but it is well worth the wait! Very easy too.