I caged my 'Black Thai' at about 6-ft. last Fall, with about 6 inches of thick mulch surrounding the plant. It's now about 12-ft. tall. The 'velutino' you gave me years ago gets cut to about 2-ft. tall, but still blooms & fruits heavily every year. Even has hundreds of volunteer seedlings around it each Spring. Must say it's my favorite just because it's so carefree. The one you got from Terry - is it musa 'basjoo'? It's supposed to be the hardiest, yet between me & Mother Nature we've killed two over the years.