Bananas growing on Hilton Head an a-peeling sight

Bananas growing in a Hilton Head front yard are getting bunches of attention.

Charles and Anne McNear were surprised to discover the fruit growing on a tree at their Windmill Harbor home about two weeks ago.

The couple received three banana trees as a gift from a neighbor three years ago. Two trees died. And they never expected the remaining one to produce fruit.

“I could not believe it,” Anne McNear said about the two bunches of bananas now ripening on the tree.

The McNears, who moved to Hilton Head from Chicago in 1995, have had trouble tracking down items to help nurture the tree.

“I called a (local gardening) store and explained what I was looking for. (The store owner) said, ‘Pardon me,’ ” said Anne McNear.

Edoe Agbodjan, senior station director for the University of South Carolina’s small-farm program, said bananas typically need tropical environments to grow and is surprised to hear of the McNears’ success.

“This is the first time someone has told me they are growing bananas outside in the natural environment in South Carolina,” said Abgodjan, who grew up in South Africa where banana trees are plentiful. “Nature can do things sometimes that nobody can understand.”

Abgodjan has a theory that the McNears’ tree was somehow protected from the elements.

Anne McNear speculated that a wall behind the tree could have played a role. The couple also placed a sheet over the tree during cold spells.

“We also had a very warm winter and spring,” Anne McNear added.

Now, the challenge will be to protect the tree from pests, which are different in the Lowcountry’s subtropical environment than those in the tropical environments where the trees typically grow, Abgodjan said.

Charles McNear said they’re intent on keeping the tree alive despite limited local resources to do so.

A plastic bag to keep away bugs — but also capable of providing air and drainage — will need to be crafted, he said. And the couple are brainstorming on ways to keep the tree producing during the winter.

This story was originally published July 6, 2016 at 4:38 PM with the headline "Bananas growing on Hilton Head an a-peeling sight."