Banana Shrub is a perennial grown for its blooms, which open in spring and return year after year. It's hardy across USDA zones 8 through 10 and grows just as well in a container as in the ground. Its spring flowers are a moderate draw for native bees.
Banana Shrub — the short answer
Banana Shrub: grown in zones 8–10, part sun, pH 5–6.5.
- USDA zones
- 8–10
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- Soil pH
- 5–6.5
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Sun
- Part Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Banana Shrub on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether banana shrub actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score banana shrub against your land's real conditions.
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What Banana Shrub is
Banana Shrub grows as a perennial and reaches around ten feet at maturity. It blooms in spring. It's also well suited to containers.
How to grow Banana Shrub
Banana Shrub grows in USDA zones 8 through 10. Banana Shrub does best in part sun — at least 4 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 5 to 6.5, on well-drained ground. It needs a growing season of at least 200 frost-free days, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
8-10
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
5 - 6.5
Growable Ground Plant Database
Sun
Part Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Mature Height
10 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
200+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant banana shrub in part sun with at least 4 hours of direct sun, once the soil has warmed and frost risk has passed.
Match the soil
Banana Shrub prefers pH 5 to 6.5 (Growable Ground Plant Database). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Harvest at its peak
Cut banana shrub blooms in the cool of the morning, just as they open, for the longest display.
Where Banana Shrub thrives
Banana Shrub is hardy across USDA zones 8 through 10. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 8–10 spans average winter lows from 10°F to 40°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 1 outright and splits 27 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 8–10·Where Banana Shrub growsOpen map →
This map is derived from the USDA ARS / PRISM Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023) and is not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
Where Banana Shrub stands, state by state
Banana Shrub is rated for zones 8–10 — a cold floor USDA puts at 10 to 20°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 1 sits fully inside that band, the line runs through 27 more, and 23 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
The line runs through
27 states
- Alaska · zones 1a-9a
- Idaho · zones 3b-8a
- California · zones 4b-11a
3 of 27 shown
Banana Shrub’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Banana Shrub
Growing guides for banana shrub
In rotation planning, banana shrub counts as a Other — beds recover best when other crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — banana shrub isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Banana Shrub offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators.
Your land is one point inside Banana Shrub's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Banana Shrub will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether banana shrub actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources analyzed in seconds
How we know this about Banana Shrub
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Banana Shrub in my zone?
Banana Shrub grows in USDA hardiness zones 8 through 10 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Banana Shrub?
Most growers plant banana shrub after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed, leaving enough of the season for its 200-day frost-free need. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Banana Shrub need?
Banana Shrub does well in partial sun — around 4 hours of direct sun, and it takes some afternoon shade in stride. That flexibility makes it a good match for a bed the house or a nearby tree shades for part of the day. A Growable Ground report maps how the sun actually falls on your land, hour by hour, so you can set it where the light lines up.
What soil does Banana Shrub need?
Banana Shrub prefers soil pH 5 to 6.5, on well-drained ground (Growable Ground Plant Database). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Banana Shrub attract pollinators?
Yes — banana shrub's flowers are a solid nectar source for native bees.
Is Banana Shrub safe for pets?
Banana Shrub is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)
Keep exploring Banana Shrub
Banana Shrub state by state
Every state banana shrub's zone reaches — 2 link straight to that state's banana shrub growing page; the rest open the state's full growing guide.