This summer was quite a good growing season for tropicals. My banana trees topped out around 9 feet which is much higher than in the summer of 2007. All good things must come to an end though and today I tucked in one clump of my nanas to rest for winter. This year I'm trying to keep about 3 feet of the stem to jump start growth next spring. I'll keep piling on leaves as they compress making sure the stems stay nice and insulated. Time will tell so check back next spring for progress.