{"product_id":"banana-red-abyssinian-ensete-ventricosum-maurelii","title":"Red Abyssinian Banana - Ensete ventricosum ‘Maurelii’","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePrice includes everything:\u003c\/strong\u003e the plant, free delivery and professional installation by our planting team. One price, whole job done.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eRed Abyssinian Banana - Ensete ventricosum ‘Maurelii’\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe most dramatic large-leaved plant available for a warm Australian garden, \u003cem\u003eEnsete ventricosum\u003c\/em\u003e ‘Maurelii’ throws paddle leaves up to two metres long with burgundy undersides and deep red midribs. It is not a fruiting banana and it does not sucker, which is exactly why designers use it: one plant stays where it is put, building a single fat pseudostem and a symmetrical fountain of foliage instead of a spreading clump.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eWhy Red Abyssinian Banana\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLeaf scale\u003c\/strong\u003e: Individual leaves are broad enough to change the scale of a whole courtyard within one growing season.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eRed pigmentation\u003c\/strong\u003e: Midribs, petioles and leaf undersides carry a deep wine red that intensifies in full sun.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNon-suckering\u003c\/strong\u003e: Unlike edible bananas it produces no pups, so it holds a single clean trunk and never colonises a bed.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpeed\u003c\/strong\u003e: In a warm summer it can add well over a metre, making it the fastest route to a resolved tropical planting.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSymmetry\u003c\/strong\u003e: The rosette arrangement of leaves is naturally even, so it looks composed from every angle without pruning.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eIdeal Applications\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePoolside statement\u003c\/strong\u003e: Set behind a pool coping where the red undersides catch afternoon backlight.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTropical layering\u003c\/strong\u003e: Used as the tall canopy element over gingers, cordylines and philodendrons in a resort-style bed.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCourtyard focal point\u003c\/strong\u003e: A single plant in a large pot anchors a small paved space better than any shrub of the same size.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSeasonal drama in cool districts\u003c\/strong\u003e: Grown in a container in Melbourne or Adelaide and moved under cover before winter frost.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eSpecimen \u0026amp; Installation\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpacing (screening\/hedge):\u003c\/strong\u003e 2 to 2.5m centres for a solid foliage wall\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpacing (feature\/avenue):\u003c\/strong\u003e 3 to 4m as a standalone specimen\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBest Planting Season:\u003c\/strong\u003e Spring and early summer, so the plant has a full warm season to establish before cool weather\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSoil \u0026amp; Drainage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Deep, rich, moisture-retentive soil heavily improved with compost, but free draining underneath. It is a heavy feeder and a heavy drinker in summer.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEstablishment Care:\u003c\/strong\u003e Water generously and often through the first summer, never letting the root zone dry out completely. Mulch thickly with compost, feed monthly with a nitrogen-rich fertiliser during the growing season, and site it out of strong wind, which shreds the leaves.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003ePlant Details\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 3 to 5m\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWidth:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2 to 3m\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGrowth Rate:\u003c\/strong\u003e Fast\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFoliage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Evergreen in frost free districts; foliage is burnt back by frost in cold areas\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLight:\u003c\/strong\u003e Full sun to part shade, with shelter from wind\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNative to:\u003c\/strong\u003e Highlands of Ethiopia and eastern Africa\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFlower Colour:\u003c\/strong\u003e Insignificant; rarely flowers in cultivation\n\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nursery Direct","offers":[{"title":"400mm","offer_id":59795385418014,"sku":"ND-0194-400MM","price":1100.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1000\/2536\/8862\/files\/b3L_lBNy-H-FOsWV-4u1Q_9RglvfD8.jpg?v=1787314831","url":"https:\/\/nurserydirect.com.au\/products\/banana-red-abyssinian-ensete-ventricosum-maurelii","provider":"Nursery Direct","version":"1.0","type":"link"}