The best banana seed packets, compared.
Top pick: SAFLAX snow banana, 10 seeds, Ensete glaucum – Highest score at 81: Ensete glaucum named, 10 seeds that match the title, about £4.55, and 3.0 from 69 ratings. Best value: 10 Musa acuminata dwarf banana seeds, Ipsa – Lowest price for a named species with a matching count: about £3.23 for 10 Musa acuminata seeds. Updated 21.10.2026.
Banana seeds on amazon.co.uk are or packets for a large-leaved pot or a border plant. They are not a way to grow seedless supermarket. Kew states that fruit has no seeds and that plants are increased from offsets, while wild fruit is full of hard seeds. A useful packet prints a Latin name, a seed count and a packer. Unnamed high-count packets cost more without naming a species. What to reject before you pay is in the [banana seeds buying guide](/hub/herb-seeds/banana-seeds/sub/banana-seeds-buying-guide). A different foliage seed, with its own limits, is [bamboo seeds](/hub/herb-seeds/bamboo-seeds). It is not a stand-in for seedless supermarket. The RHS says bananas are usually sold as plants, that seed is how you reach less common species, and that most will not flower or fruit outdoors in the United Kingdom. A photo of a ripe bunch, or a high piece count on its own, does not name the plant. This comparison keeps nine amazon.co.uk listings and did not sow the seed.
Banana seeds on amazon.co.uk are or packets for a large-leaved pot or a border plant. They are not a way to grow seedless supermarket.
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
What do you want the packet to name?
SAFLAX lists Ensete glaucum, also written as Ensete wilsonii, as snow banana, with 10 seeds at £4.55 and 3.0 from 69 ratings on amazon.co.uk. The title and the piece count agree, and the listing claims leaves up to 2 m, a pseudo-stem of about 3 m to 3.50 m, and detailed potting instructions. The only UK Amazon review, from April 2025, calls the seeds truly great. Most of the other reviews are from outside the UK and say nothing germinated, including one note that five of ten seeds floated, so the star line is not a sowing trial and those texts are not British customers. The Palm Centre says Ensete glaucum does not survive a normal British winter outdoors, which means the word snow is a common name rather than an RHS band. The listing never answers whether you can grow it indoors. It is the top pick here because the species, the count of 10, and the price sit together more cleanly than the unnamed packs and the £13.50 Ensete with a 1 Pc bullet, and you still have to lift it before a normal winter.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A summer foliage plant you will lift and keep frost-free, when you want a named Ensete packet rather than an unnamed bag.
Less suitable: A border you will leave out all winter, or a reading of snow as Musa basjoo hardiness.
Specifications
Common questions
Which species is named?
The title says Ensete glaucum syn. Ensete wilsonii, snow banana, 10 seeds. Brand is SAFLAX. Part number 13013.
Does the listing say indoor or outdoor?
A question asks whether it can be grown indoors. No field answers it. Sunlight is also unanswered.
What is in the reviews?
The star line is 3.0 from 69 ratings. One UK review calls the seeds great. Most of the other reviews are from outside the UK and say nothing germinated.
The SAFLAX packet is titled Musa sikkimensis, Darjeeling banana, with five seeds at £4.55 on amazon.co.uk, and the star line is 2.5 from 55 ratings. The listing claims a frost-hardy plant that can reach about four metres outdoors in more protected areas, and it says detailed potting instructions are included. Of the four UK Amazon reviews, one from September 2018 calls it a good allotment novelty, while three report no growth, including a January 2026 note that it was a waste of time. A UK review from April 2023 adds that the card was in German and that delivery took ages. That language problem matters if you cannot follow a German sowing card, because this page does not treat the packer’s card as optional. The frost-hardy bullet is not an RHS code: the RHS rates Musa sikkimensis H3, about −5°C to 1°C, which is mild coastal Britain or protection. Buy it when you want this named Musa and can sow even if the card is not in English; leave it if you need English instructions on the packet or a germination percentage, which this comparison does not have.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A milder coastal or city border where you want Musa sikkimensis foliage and can sow from a method you already trust if the card is not in English.
Less suitable: A first packet if you need English instructions, or a reading of the frost-hardy line as winter-proof across the UK.
Specifications
Common questions
Which species is named?
The title says Musa sikkimensis, Darjeeling banana, 5 seeds. Brand is SAFLAX. Part number 12946.
What do the UK reviews say?
Four UK reviews are recorded. One calls it a good item for the allotment. Three report no growth or a waste of time. One of those says the instructions were in German. The star line is 2.5 from 55 ratings.
Does the listing state a hardiness code?
No. A bullet says frost-hardy and up to four metres in more protected areas. The indoor or outdoor field says outdoor. There is no temperature figure.
The generic listing titles hardy neve banana, Ensete glaucum, and five seeds at £13.50, while a bullet says 1 Pc and the unit count is 1.0. The amazon.co.uk line is 1.0 from four ratings. Both UK reviews say the buyer expected the plant in the picture and received a small bag of seeds. Neil Thompson, in July 2025, describes an unlabelled bag from China and a postage label that said small beads, while the country-of-origin field says United Kingdom. Cliff Fleming, in June 2025, reports a very small bag of black seeds and no plant. There is no instruction text and no temperature, even though the title includes hardy. The Palm Centre says this species does not survive a normal British winter outdoors, so the extra money over the SAFLAX packet at £4.55 does not buy a hardier plant or a clearer count. Goods have to match the description, and these two UK reviews are about that gap.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Only if you have already confirmed, in writing, that the seller will send labelled Ensete glaucum seed and you accept the 5-versus-1 Pc clash until the parcel arrives.
Less suitable: Anyone who wants a count that matches the title, instructions on the page, or a plant rather than a bag.
Specifications
Common questions
How many seeds does the listing state?
The title says 5 seeds. A bullet says 1 Pc. Unit count is 1.0 and number of items is 1.
What did the UK reviews say?
Two UK reviews are recorded, on a 1.0 rating from 4. Both say they received seeds, not a plant. One describes an unlabelled bag from China. The country-of-origin field says United Kingdom.
Does the listing answer the cold-climate question?
No. Cold climates, soil, and fruit are questions only. The title includes the word hardy. There is no temperature.
Punikondra’s green packet is titled banana fruit seeds, 60 pieces, at £7.99, and both the title and the bullet agree on 60. The listing does not name Musa or Ensete, and a bullet says the pack contains seeds only, not plants. The star line is 1.0 from one rating, with no review text, so you cannot tell whether that mark is about germination, the photo, or the post. Questions on indoor growing, soil, and sunlight are unanswered. The page says growth depends on soil temperature and watering, which is true of almost any seed and does not identify the plant. Kew’s Cavendish banana has no seeds in the fruit, so a title built around banana fruit is not a species and is not supermarket fruit. At £7.99 you pay more than the named SAFLAX and Ipsa packets without gaining a Latin name.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A count-only order if you already know the species from the seller, outside this listing.
Less suitable: A first banana packet, or a comparison that treats 60 unnamed seeds as better value than five named ones.
Specifications
Common questions
Does this listing name a species?
No. The title is Banana Fruit Seeds Green 60pcs. Brand is punikondra.
Does the pack include plants?
No. A bullet says the pack contains only seeds, not plants.
What does the one rating say?
The star line is 1.0 out of 5 from one rating. There is no review text.
Seeds & Plants Shop by Ipsa lists 10 Musa acuminata seeds at £3.23, and the title, the piece count, and the unit count all say 10. That is the lowest price in this comparison for a packet that prints a Latin name. The page says partial shade, moderate watering, and an outdoor field, while a sowing bullet also allows indoor or outdoor depending on the season, and it claims general instructions with English not guaranteed. There is no amazon.co.uk star line and no review text, so the high germination rate bullet has no customer sample behind it. The title also uses the words garden plants and dwarf banana fruit, but the box-contents line is seeds of the named species, not a potted plant and not a named dwarf cultivar. Kew states that supermarket Cavendish fruit has no seeds, so this packet is not a route to that fruit. It is the best value here on price for a named Musa of 10 seeds, if you accept a missing rating and instructions that may not be in English.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A named pot packet when you want Musa acuminata seed at the bottom of this price range and you already have a sowing method.
Less suitable: A buyer who needs UK reviews before paying, or who wants supermarket Cavendish fruit.
Specifications
Common questions
Are plants included?
The box-contents bullet says seeds of the species named in the title. The title also contains the words garden plants. Quantity is 10.
Are the instructions in English?
The listing says general sowing instructions are included and that English is not guaranteed. No temperature figure is printed.
Is there a customer rating?
The listing has no customer-review line and no review text.
The red punikondra listing is titled banana fruit seeds, 50 pieces, at £7.99, with the same count in the title and the bullet, and the pack is seeds only rather than plants. There is no Latin name, no star line, and no review text. A question about whether the seeds are organic is unanswered, as are the questions on indoor growing and soil. Best Sellers Rank here is 29 in Fruit Seeds, which is Amazon’s list order, not a trial of what germinates in a UK pot. The colour word red is a variant label, not Musa sikkimensis and not a named red-leaved cultivar. You pay the same £7.99 as the green 60-piece packet for fewer seeds and still no species. Compared with Ipsa’s Musa acuminata at £3.23, the piece count does not tell you what you are sowing.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A colour-labelled spare only after the seller has named the species in writing, off the title.
Less suitable: Shoppers using a Fruit Seeds rank, or the word red, as a stand-in for a cultivar.
Specifications
Common questions
Does this listing name a species?
No. The title is Banana Fruit Seeds Red 50pcs. Brand is punikondra.
Are the seeds described as organic?
A question asks whether they are organic. The listing does not answer it.
Is there a customer rating?
The listing has no customer-review line and no review text.
Buy4seeds titles 50 red banana vegetable seeds at £8.99 and says they suit indoor and outdoor gardens, with growing instructions described as simple sowing and care guidance. No species is named, there is no star line, and there is no review text. A bullet allows pots, containers, raised beds, or garden plots depending on the variety, which leaves the variety unset on the page. Vegetable seeds is a poor fit for Musa or Ensete foliage, and it sits beside lookalikes such as banana shallot that are not this category. Indoor and outdoor in the title is not a hardiness rating and not a Latin name. At £8.99 the packet costs more than either named SAFLAX line without telling you whether you have bought a banana at all.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Only a purchase where the seller has already named the species before you pay.
Less suitable: A banana border or a conservatory pot chosen from the title alone.
Specifications
Common questions
Which banana is named?
None. The title says 50pcs red banana vegetable seeds. Brand and manufacturer are Buy4seeds.
Where does the listing say you can grow them?
The title says indoor and outdoor gardens. A bullet lists pots, containers, raised beds, or garden plots depending on the variety.
Is there a customer rating?
The listing has no customer-review line and no review text.
The 100-piece Buy4seeds listing uses the same £8.99 price and the same image URL as the 50-piece red banana vegetable seeds packet. The title doubles the count and still names no species. There is no star line and no review text. Instructions are claimed in the same general way, and the indoor and outdoor line is repeated without a temperature. Paying the same money for twice the seeds only helps if the seed is the plant you wanted, which this page does not establish. A shared product image across two counts is a reason to treat the photo as catalogue art, not as proof of what is in the envelope. Banana shallot and the tomato Banana Legs are separate plants, and this title does not rule them out.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Not a starting packet. Only a larger count after the species is identified somewhere other than this title.
Less suitable: Buyers who expect a different plant from the 50-piece listing, or a photo that belongs to one count.
Specifications
Common questions
Which banana is named?
None. The title says 100pcs red banana vegetable seeds. Brand and manufacturer are Buy4seeds.
How does this differ from the 50-piece Buy4seeds listing?
The title count is 100 instead of 50. The price is also £8.99. The image URL is the same.
Is there a customer rating?
The listing has no customer-review line and no review text.
The generic dwarf kit is £13.50, and the title strings together dwarf banana seeds, Italian wording for a home garden and balcony, and the counts 10, 20 or 30 pieces. A bullet says 1 Pc, and the unit count is 1.0, so you cannot tell how many seeds the order is for. No species is named, the sunlight and indoor or outdoor fields are empty, and there is no review line. Questions about indoors, soil, and whether instructions are included are unanswered. The country-of-origin field says United Kingdom, which does not repair the count clash or the missing Latin name. At the same £13.50 as the hardy neve listing, you still do not know which banana is in the packet. Dwarf in the title is not a cultivar, and it is not the Ipsa Musa acuminata packet at £3.23.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A buyer who already has written confirmation of species and quantity, because the amazon.co.uk title settles neither.
Less suitable: Anyone who needs one seed count, a Latin name, or a kit list in English.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the title name a species?
No. It says dwarf banana seeds. Brand is Generic. Part number ECOM-UK-05JN9752.
How many pieces are stated?
The title lists 10, 20 or 30 pieces. A bullet says 1 Pc. Unit count is 1.0.
Are planting instructions included?
A question asks whether they are included. The listing does not answer it. There is no review line.
Card scores are the display scores from the scoring note of 20 October 2026. That note weighted a Latin name, a matching seed count, the packer and instructions, the amazon.co.uk star line, and the price for what is named. Those five published figures are 25, 15, 12, 25 and 18, which sum to 95. The weights below are the same blocks scaled to 26, 16, 13, 26 and 19 so they sum to 100. Deductions for no growth, a German card, a hardiness word with no temperature, a count clash and an unnamed vegetable title sit outside that 100. Reviews written outside the UK are not treated as British customers. This run did not sow the seed. There is no germination percentage.
Species named
26%A listing that prints a Latin binomial scores on this block. Musa sikkimensis, Ensete glaucum and Musa acuminata are different plants. Banana fruit seeds or red banana vegetable seeds scores nothing here.
Seed count
16%The block scores when the title and the bullets agree. A bullet that says 1 Pc against a higher title count scores nothing. The SAFLAX and Ipsa counts match. The two generic kits do not.
Packer and instructions
13%SAFLAX, with detailed potting instructions claimed, sits above Ipsa, where English is not guaranteed. Buy4seeds claims guidance but names no species. A generic page with no instruction text scores nothing on this block.
Amazon star line
26%Stars out of 5, scaled by the review count and capped. No star line scores nothing. The published amazon.co.uk rating is used. The snow banana is 3.0 from 69. Darjeeling is 2.5 from 55. The generic Ensete is 1.0 from 4.
Price for what is named
19%A named species at £5 or under scores higher than a named species over £10, and higher than an unnamed packet. Ipsa at about £3.23 is the lowest price for a named species with a matching count. £13.50 did not buy a clearer name than £4.55.
A banana seed packet is worth buying when it names the species, states one seed count, and names a packer you can read. Hardy, snow, dwarf and a ripe-bunch photo do not do that job.
A banana seed packet in a UK shop is a Musa or Ensete for a large-leaved pot or border plant. It is not a stand-in for seedless supermarket Cavendish. Kew states that Cavendish fruit has no seeds and that plants are increased from offsets, while wild fruit is full of hard seeds. The RHS says bananas are usually sold as plants, that seed is how you reach less common species, and that most will not flower or fruit outdoors in the United Kingdom.
Older banana seed may take six months on the RHS method. Planet Banana allows about six weeks to a year. A cold sill and wet compost are reasons seed fails. A fortnight is not the end of either stated method.
The 100-piece Buy4seeds listing is about £8.99, the same price as its 50-piece listing, and neither names a species. Twice the seeds only helps if the seed is the plant you wanted. Ipsa names Musa acuminata at about £3.23.
Snow banana is Ensete glaucum. The Palm Centre says it does not survive a normal British winter outdoors. Musa sikkimensis is H3, about −5°C to 1°C, which is mild coastal Britain or protection. Neither title word is hardy throughout the UK.
The first check is the Latin name, because Musa sikkimensis, Ensete glaucum and Musa acuminata are different plants. A title that says banana fruit seeds or red banana vegetable seeds does not say which. In this set the named packets are SAFLAX Musa sikkimensis, five seeds at about £4.55, SAFLAX Ensete glaucum, 10 seeds at about £4.55, and Ipsa Musa acuminata, 10 seeds at about £3.23.
Hardiness has to come from an RHS rating or a UK nursery page, not from hardy, frost-hardy or snow in a title. Musa sikkimensis is H3 on the RHS details page, about −5°C to 1°C, which is mild and coastal Britain or protection. Height there is 2.5–4 m over 5–10 years. The Darjeeling listing says frost-hardy and up to four metres in more protected areas, and it gives no temperature. That bullet is not the RHS code.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You can keep a large pot frost-free and you want a named species from seed. The SAFLAX snow banana is the top pick: Ensete glaucum, 10 seeds at about £4.55. The Palm Centre says it does not survive a normal British winter outdoors, so you lift it.
You want Musa foliage and you will wrap or lift. Read the RHS rating before you trust hardy on a title. SAFLAX Darjeeling is Musa sikkimensis, H3, about −5°C to 1°C. That is mild coastal Britain or protection, and one UK review says the card was in German.
You are weighing 50 or 100 seeds against a smaller named packet. Skip unnamed packs and lookalikes such as shallot, tomato and passion fruit. Best value is Ipsa Musa acuminata, 10 seeds at about £3.23, if you can sow without a star line and without a guarantee of English instructions.
The top pick is the SAFLAX snow banana, Ensete glaucum, 10 seeds at about £4.55. It scores 81, the highest here, with a count that matches the title and 3.0 from 69 amazon.co.uk ratings. Snow is a common name, not an RHS band, and the Palm Centre says this species does not survive a normal British winter outdoors. Best value is a different packet: Ipsa Musa acuminata, 10 seeds at about £3.23, the lowest price for a named species with a matching count. That listing has no star line, and English on the instructions is not guaranteed. Skip the snow banana if you will leave the plant out all winter. Skip the Ipsa packet if you need UK reviews before you pay, or if you want supermarket Cavendish fruit.
SAFLAX snow banana, 10 seeds, Ensete glaucum
Highest score at 81: Ensete glaucum named, 10 seeds that match the title, about £4.55, and 3.0 from 69 ratings.
10 Musa acuminata dwarf banana seeds, Ipsa
Lowest price for a named species with a matching count: about £3.23 for 10 Musa acuminata seeds.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources named below. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts are from the nine listings in this comparison. Scoring note dated 20 October 2026. Page updated 21 October 2026.
Expert source (DIY & tools): Lee Burkhill (Garden Ninja) (external profile) – public expert commentary used as a research source, not as a contributor to our pages.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk (tag pcuk26-21). If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts are taken from those listings. We did not sow the seed.
