Paul’s Bananas
In 2017 Paul Oldroyd bought a Japanese banana plant - Muso basjoo. It fitted in the passenger seat of his car. He wanted a big plant to fill a big space.
He had begun a new project to transform an old one acre commercial greenhouse, full of thistles, into a garden. He had a lot of space but very little money to buy plants.
Paul’s first Japanese banana plant
Paul’s Japanese banana plants growing in Oldroyd’s Corner
That first banana thrived and now it has what Paul calls ‘daughters’ and many of them are also living in the greenhouse at Oldroyd’s Corner. He has also given cuttings away and if you travel around Hull you might see some of the banana plants that Paul has gifted to others.
In this episode we hear from Paul as to why the garden means so much to him. We also hear from his partner and Our Plant Stories listener - Jo, who contacted me with this story, about why it is so important for the community in Beverley East Yorkshire. When I visited the garden I also met Ann Los who remembers the greenhouse during its ‘working days’ and later, before Paul came, when it was “6 foot deep in thistles”. The site is linked to the story of three Dutch brothers who came to Beverley in the 1930s to set up a market garden.
In this episode we also hear from Florence Mansbridge who is the nursery manager at the Eden Project in Cornwall. In conversation with Paul, she explains the origins of the Japanese banana. There’s also a link with fish and chips and it is not obvious.
Listen to the podcast to find out how to grow your own banana plant.
Florence Mansbridge with the Muso basjoo or Japanese bananas at the Eden Project
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