Hagiwara Ever-blooming Banana Shrub. One of our great contacts in Japan, Mr. Hagiwara, is always offering us something new that we have never seen before. In late 2007, Mr. Hagiwara gave us several small plants of a Banana Shrub which he said were ever-blooming. We graciously accepted, but I was a little skeptical of his claims. But after growing them off for a couple of seasons, I found that he was absolutely right! It flowers throughout the growing season and has a delectable fragrance just like its parent. Many think it is better. One would scarcely know that this plant is not the typical species, until it is growing, and then one sees the ever-blooming nature of this selection. Its flowers are the typical cream-white but it seems to have a little more purple at the base of its petals than its parent. This is a wonderful addition to our collection of evergreen Magnolias. It has performed really well in full sun to part shade, but the more sun it receives, the heavier will be the flower set. This species can get quite large in its native China reaching small tree proportions. We have one here on the property that is approximately 12', but one can easily keep it at half that size if pruned on an annual basis.
Zones 7-9
