I have established Basjoo's and Black Thai also surrounding my pool. I just cut the tops off only after the frost has hit them and mulch or insulate the base with a layer of shreaded pine mulch. My Basjoo's do great and usually have leaves pushing out as early as Feburary if it has been mild. I will have one or two Thia stalks survive and push out new leaves in Spring but all have rebounded from ground level. We had a couple single digit temp Winters and they all got knocked down to the ground but all rebounded except for my Namwa which was not planted in the most ideal place . Other than topping them off I leave my Saba ,Yunan , and others as is. If I happen to bag some leaves I will use the bags as insulation. Come Spring time haul the bags to the street for pick-up.

Thank you very much for the response. I'm a little north of you but we never know if we are in for icemageddon or a mild winter.

The bananas in your picture would have preferred to be planted on a south-facing wall. It is important for the soil around the base of a banana to remain warm during winter. The soil is not going to warm in the shade. Notice how the sun tends to stay in the southern half of the horizon during the winter, casting shadows.

Thank you. They have done well in that spot but this is just a temporary location. They will be moved next year after the pool goes in.

Off-topic but I don't recommend a pool. It takes up a lot of space and makes the backyard feel less open. Especially if you're growing fruit trees. It's an addictive hobby, and you are going to end up planting more trees than you expected. And trees do not get along well with pools, they drop their leaves into the pool and then that ends up leading to algal growth problems, then you have to add more chemicals into the pool and change out the water more frequently.

People who have pools don't end up using them as often they imagine they will. Maintenance costs can be expensive over time. And a pool does not add to the property value of your house, the next owners may not want a pool, and it's easier to install a pool than it is to rip an existing one out. In California there are too many houses with a pool already and not enough yard space. If you want to use a pool get a membership at a local pool facility, it will probably be bigger and nicer than the one you have and you will not have to do all the work maintaining it.

Oh, I forgot you were in Arkansas, haha. Yeah, that's different then.

Banana leaves are much easier to pick out of the pool than leaves from other trees such as Oak and Maple trees.... Pools are great if you know what you are getting into.

Hello. Arkansas here too. I would love to hear an update since it's been a year and your pool is going. My teenagers want to do this too. Thanks.

Hi I love your Musa! How close to the fence is it planted? I would like it to be very close to the fence while allowing it enough room to grow..any suggestion how close it should be?