I lost mine also, sowngrow, so will be watching this thread with interest. I live very near you.

mailing in the heat doesn't damage the plants as long as plants are packed appropriately :

I live in Austin and just did 2 banana trades with folks in Florida and Louisiana and received the banana plants in very good condition. I got confirmation that the banana that I shipped arrived in very good condition as well.

whoever trades with you would just need to make sure to follow these steps, or extremely close to this :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPVuiOGCz18

I have have 4 banana's currently - 2 pups of unknown type that grow over 15-20 feet tall (the parent has produced bananas and is several years old); 1 high color mini (just received this one in a trade, however looks to be ready to produce a pup soon *crossing fingers*), 1 Chinese lotus banana (just received in a trade). I have a dwarf Cavendish that I am expecting to be shipped by Monday (i should receive that on Wednesday). All the shipments for bananas were done priority (shipment was initiated on Monday or Tuesday at the latest). Cost range was 5-7 dollars to ship.

I am not interested in trading at this time, however, I wanted to assure you that trading via shipping worked well for me and hope you find someone to trade with you. Next year if my plants produce pups - I'd be more than happy to trade with you, but that is still several months away. I should have quite a selection if my plants survive and thrive.

Danny