I would say if its in a semi protected area with the mulch and tarp it will be alright. they really are very hardy and can take a real beating. cutting it to the ground its inducing it to pup so if you want to keep the height your gunna have to protect the P stem but if you just want a big mat of nanas you can do as you have been doing and it will be fine. If you do ever plant anymore I know most people above zone 6 plant them about a foot deep in the ground which helps alot in the winter.

Thanks. I didn't know they could be buried deeper. But I'm not going to putting in any more so it's a moot point anyway. The one I have already engulfs my vegetable garden where I planted it.

I know saving the pseudostem in my climate isn't possible, so I just chopped it to the ground again. Last year it did pup a lot but the stem also grew back from the cut point.

How tall could I expect it to get next season?

I was able to find a straw bale and I took it apart and covered the plant. So now it has 3 feet of straw and the wood shavings plus the tarp so I'm probably good to go now.