It is a fast grower. The seeds began germinating June 19, so this is only about a month later.

Helen's Hybrid is a Chinni Champa x Musa Sikkimensis cross, so growing it from seed would be the second generation, could result in some variable genetics.

Mississippi State Trial Gardens has Red Abyssinian, Bordelon, and Thai Black growing outside, USDA climate zone 8a.

(Cold Tolerant Bananas, MissStateExtension, YouTube video)

The following descriptions come from Dennis Carey of Plant Delights Nursery in North Carolina, which appears to be in zone 7b, looking at a climate zone map.

Musa sikkimensis 'Red Flash'
(Zone 7b-10)

Musa thomsonii (Thompson's edible banana)
This Himalayan species grows to 15 feet tall, but our plants have topped out with 12-foot glaucous grey stems. The new leaves often have a red flush on the reverse side. We have had our plants in the ground since 2007, and they have survived 9°F without mulch. (Zone 7b-10)

Musa velutina (pink velvet banana)
There's something mystical about a pink velvet banana that makes you want to start belting out Elvis tunes. M. velutina was our first introduction to hardy bananas and is still a favorite in our summer garden. Rarely exceeding 6 feet tall, M. velutina produces copious flower stalks near the top of the trunk, starting in late summer. Each stalk is soon home to clusters of small, pink velvet bananas. Don't plan on a snack from these seed-filled bananas unless you are exceedingly hungry or exceedingly drunk. Once established, they seem to be quite winter-hardy. Not all strains of M. velutina are equally winter hardy. (Zone 7b-10)

https://www.nurserymag.com/article/n...banana-plants/

Right now I have two seedlings of Helen's Hybrid and two of Musa thomsonii, so this information sounds very hopeful.
I'm not sure how well they can do in the Pacific Northwest climate though.

BananaJSSI on YouTube posted a comment that his Helen's Hybrid he was growing on Salt Spring Island has rotted and doesn't look like it survived the Winter. It was a colder Winter than usual though this year.

Salt Spring Island is a small island, one of the Gulf Islands lying between Vancouver Island and mainland British Columbia (Canada), it's in zone 9a, despite the cool temperatures most of the year.


video title: How to Grow Cold Hardy Banana Plants, published June 8, 2019
comment posted by WesleyAPEX
"The Helens Hybrid died??"
reply posted by BananaJSSI , on June 2
"It looks like it rotted , so obviously not good here"


He had wrapped the trunk with insulation, as shown in another video, and it was under the cover of many tall surrounding Musa basjoo bananas in a virtual jungle, so it wasn't completely out in the open, but he did say they had some pretty strong Winter winds.

(2) Helen's Hybrid on the left, and a Musa thomsonii on the right.

The seedlings are very fast growing under these conditions, with continuous artificial light, warmth, and an enclosure to hold in some humidity and prevent them from drying out.