Cana - Ask Extension
Will this cana plant flower?
Will it come back next year?
Knowledgebase
Cana #942330
Asked August 13, 2026, 1:55 PM EDT
Will this cana plant flower?
Will it come back next year?
Montgomery County Maryland
Expert Response
This looks like a banana plant, not a Canna lily. Canna lilies usually do not overwinter outside in the ground reliably in Maryland, as we are usually too cold. In a protected location by a warm building wall, they might overwinter in some years.
Banana plants are too cold-tender to survive the winter in Maryland, except for one species, Musa basjoo, which can spread over time to form a large clump of multiple "trunks." It is grown for its decorative large foliage, as it does not ripen fruit in our climate. The main stems die back completely to the ground in winter once killed by frost, and the plant produces new growth around late spring. They can get around 15 feet tall when full-grown by autumn.
Miri
Banana plants are too cold-tender to survive the winter in Maryland, except for one species, Musa basjoo, which can spread over time to form a large clump of multiple "trunks." It is grown for its decorative large foliage, as it does not ripen fruit in our climate. The main stems die back completely to the ground in winter once killed by frost, and the plant produces new growth around late spring. They can get around 15 feet tall when full-grown by autumn.
Miri
Do banana plants produce bananas?
Sent from my iPhone
Sent from my iPhone
On Aug 13, 2026, at 2:31 PM, Ask Extension wrote:
No, hardy bananas do not ripen fruit in our area. (The fruits might start to develop if the plant is old enough to flower - the pictured plant is too young - but they will not fully develop.) Banana species that are not winter-hardy here will not fruit unless overwintered in a container in a large greenhouse or conservatory (in-home environments are generally not bright enough, humid enough, or large enough to accommodate them). We do not have experience with any of the dwarf types of tropical fruiting bananas that are sometimes sold from mail-order nurseries, so cannot say if they can produce fruit as a houseplant (although, in general, all banana plants struggle to do well if kept indoors year-round).
Miri
Miri
