Walton's Plant Library

Other Names:  Michelia skinneriana, Banana Magnolia

Description:

This worthwhile broadleaf shrub has lustrous evergreen leaves and a nice rounded growth habit; cup shaped, cream flowers open in spring, and release a pleasing banana scent; perfect for borders or screening

Ornamental Features

Skinner's Banana Shrub features showy fragrant creamy white cup-shaped flowers with purple edges along the branches from mid spring to early summer. It has attractive dark green evergreen foliage. The glossy pointy leaves are highly ornamental and remain dark green throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Skinner's Banana Shrub is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other landscape plants with finer foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Skinner's Banana Shrub is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Skinner's Banana Shrub will grow to be about 10 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 10 feet. It has a low canopy, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 30 years.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Skinner's Banana Shrub makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Its large size and upright habit of growth lend it for use as a solitary accent, or in a composition surrounded by smaller plants around the base and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.