A man has been left stunned after his garden banana tree started producing fruit – in Hackney. <br /><br />Ripon Ray, 42, said he’d never seen the tree produce fruit before this summer’s heatwave hit. <br /><br />Since then, his banana tree has started growing the tropical fruit - in East London.<br /><br />Ripon says he’s not sure what variety of banana it is, and the hobby gardener called the experience "weird".<br /><br />But he says he thinks he’ll have bananas growing every year going forwards - but says he hasn't eaten any yet and isn't sure if they're plantains or sweet bananas.<br /><br />Ripon said: “We moved into Hackney over 10 years ago and I bought a banana plant at the time and put it in my garden. <br /><br />“Every winter I worry it’s going to die - the plant rots right in front of me because the winter is so cold. <br /><br />“In the last couple of years, it’s survived the harsh conditions and grown bigger and bigger. <br /><br />“The plant doesn’t require much attention".<br /><br />Ripon, a debt expert, had resigned himself to treating the tree - until this year's scorching temperatures hit.<br /><br />He said: "I was going through my garden and thinking it was getting too big. <br /><br />“Then I saw there were bananas growing, there were two bunches of bananas growing on the tree. <br /><br />“When you think of bananas you think of Asia, Malysia, Singapore or the Caribbean, places with monsoons and tropical weather. <br /><br />“Obviously thinking about it, global warming is playing a huge part - who would think London is a hub of bananas. <br /><br />“I’ve never had bananas growing in my garden in my life – it's weird.” <br /><br />The Royal Horticultural Society website says banana trees don't cope well with British weather and should be brought indoors over winter.<br /><br />Its website adds: Although banana plants rarely flower or fruit outdoors in the UK, they still make eye-catching foliage plants with their dramatically large, tropical leaves."
