This is what my back garden looks like in the dead of winter. The grass is brown, the oak and frangipani trees are leafless (as is the cherry and Japanese maple), the mulberry is full of buds (including for berries), the lemon is heavy with yellow fruit (behind the frangipani), the orange is laden with green oranges (behind the lemon) and the mandarin continues to provide us with 6-12 mandarins a day. Looking as un-wintery as possible, the hibiscus is in brilliant bloom. It’s hardly a gloomy garden, it just feels that way when the clouds roll in.
jade and poinsettia
The hibiscus isn’t the only plant brightening up the garden. In front of the rainwater tanks, the jade and poinsettia are going gangbusters.
veggies and mandarins
The veggies may not actually be offering much colour – unless you count green, but they do give the back yard a verdant feel.
bananas to quince
The bananas are definitely feeling the cold but are far from giving up the ghost. The quince is reaching the end of its blooming season but its bare branches are enhanced by all those shrimp plants.
All-in-all I love my garden even on a gloomy day.
Laura Rittenhouse's Gardening Journal 
It is great to see some life even in the middle of Winter, and yes the bananas should be OK, even in Melbourne you can get them to grow!
These bananas have been there a few years and this year I had a great harvest so I’m confident you’re right. What I didn’t know was you could grow them in Melbourne. I hopped over to your blog and I see how clever you are using bricks, stones and that large black tyre to absorb and hold the heat. Aren’t you clever!