Excuse me as a non-Australian for saying this but Melbourne is not a tropical/rainforest area. You will be better off growing Mediterranean type plants - Ian..

Ohh I agree that's why I said tropical (looking) so far I have got croton plants and bangalow palms and there growing nicely despite they are originally tropical plants

George some years ago we had a week in Melbourne and went around the Botanical gardens. We were very surprised at the species that grow away from their home territory.

There were some Queensland native trees surviving well.

I would take a day roaming with a note book or camera and ID the ones you like with some of the staff.

Some years prior to that we were on the shores of Bass strait and I took some seeds of an attractive shrub from a garden and managed to grow them 2000k north above Brisbane.

Then there are some that are very limited of course. A good example of that is the Lipstick Palm, will not grow south of Mackay.

It's all good fun trying.

Hi nod

Totally agree with you. If it grows it grows no harm in trying

A little off topic here( this will sound STUPID just an idea over a topic I saw once about plants and natural gasses)

A lot of tropical trees grow down here in Melbourne and apparently tropical and non tropical trees don't produce the same "gasses" or dioxide watever it's called due to there climate and area???

If that's true if every one is Melbourne had a garden with plants that manly grow in warmer tropical climates. Is there a chance our weather could change to a more tropical climate due to different production of gasses in the area?

You're too close to Antarctica, a constant source of cold air moving up. If you could get the winds to stay more northerly all year you'd stand a better chance.

On the plants issue, there's a lot of tropical plants that many people don't consider "tropical looking". There are a lot of non-tropical plants that people feel are "tropical looking". It becomes a value judgement, what ever turns you on. The thing is to look for plants that look tropical to you and plant them. It can never be tropical rainforest in Melbourne, but it can look like it if you try.

However, whether a place is tropical or not depends on a lot more than types of gasses produced by plants.

You are growing Crotons in Melbourne? Is that all year in ground? What variety?
The SF bay area is said to like Melbourne..less rainfall. I have a pot of Crotons outdoors. Now its getting a little cooler I wonder how long they will last.

What about Acuba japonica?