Great ! I only got the chance to bag and cover my two Giant Borneo Elephant Ears ( new additions ) before my my lawn mower broke last fall. They have yet to show any signs of life but hoping they are just late.Good to hear detailed reports from colder zones. I did the fencing one year and it was a lot of work, probably could have left them as is and all been okay given the winter was mild.Reading your post and another from WV I think a little extra fall mulch will suffice for me.

I hope the information is helpful. I kind of went into growing bananas here in Michigan partially informed with reports of Basjoo being hardy to zone 6, but never imagined that would be a Michigan zone 6 and not a Tennessee zone 6, much different.

By the way, Dwarf Orinoco just sent up a pup, so looks like this one is also fully hardy with nothing more than mulch as well. This surprised me because when you look for hardy bananas, this one isn't mentioned. They get a later start than others, but if you want to grow something different, they're definitely attractive with wide leaves like a Cavendish.