Don't the flowers also last for months? The most cold hardy banana is basjoo, I had one, but I got scorched even though it was in a mostly shaded area. I read that basjoo is more of a temperate climate banana. The heat is just to intense to grow them here. I had an Orinoco banana, which is another cold hardy species, I think California Gold and Dwarf Orinoco are the hardiest of the edible bananas. This year I've only seen Blood bananas and the banana plant I currently have, which a friend told me was an Ice Cream banana
