Japanese banana or hardy banana, Musa basjoo is now thought to originate from the Sichuan province of China.

Musa basjoo grows to the size of a small tree, so gardeners are often shocked when the foliage dies back when the first frosts arrive. This is nothing to worry about, though – think of it as an enormous herbaceous perennial that, in the UK climate, dies back in winter to the roots and will quickly produce new growth in spring.