That's a lot to ask.

I can offer this much:

Potted tropical plants that can be moved into a bright window indoors in the winter (definitely NOT for the basement or garage):

Aucuba japonica JAPANESE AUCUBA
Aspidistra elatior CAST-IRON PLANT
Asplenium nitidum BIRDÂS NEST FERN
Begonia BEGONIA
Billbergia nutans QUEEN'S TEARS
Billbergia pyramidalis and var striata PYRAMID
Chamaedorea elegans PARLOR PALM
Clivia miniata FLAME LILY
Clivia nobilis RED LILY
Cordyline australis HARDY DRACAENA
Cordyline stricta AUSTRALIAN TI PLANT
Cycas revoluta CYCAD, SAGO "PALM"
Cyrtomium falcatum HOLLY FERN
Ensete ventricosum ÂMaurelii ABYSSINIAN BANANA
Fatsia japonica JAPANESE ARALIA
Phlebodium aureum HAREÂS-FOOT FERN
Pyrrosia lingua JAPANESE FELT FERN
Rhapis excelsa LADY PALM
Schefflera puekleri TUPIDANTHUS
Tradescantia pallida ÂPurpurea PURPLE HEART

Joe

the only things I keep in containers anymore and move in and out are Heliconias and Plumerias.
The bromeliads all stay out and get covered only if it goes into the 20's, maybe 2-3 times a winter.
From the list above from Joe, there is obviously a big difference between his climate and mine. We don't consider the following to even BE tropical in our everyday usage of these plants:
Cast Iron Plant
Cordyline australis
Sago Palm
Holly Fern
Birdsnest fern
Ensete species bananas and most other bananas
Fatsia japonica
Lady Palm
Tradescantias
Ti plants

Here, Billbergia nutans is pretty much 100% hardy in an "under an overhang situation"

All the other stuff I grow in a greenhouse--orchids, more rare rainforest palms, non-hardy gingers like Etlingeras and tender costus, hoyas, anthuriums, philodendrons, stuff like that.

bihai is absolutley correct. Many of the plants I listed are not true "tropicals".

But this forum is "Tropical-esque" and all of the plants I listed are "tropical-esque" (the suffix "-esque" means "having the characteristics or look of"). Better yet, these plants are better indoor plants than typical tropicals (which do better in a greenhouse).

There is a "Tropical Plants" forum for true tropical plants.

Also, my climate is not that different from bihai's. All of the above plants are totally hardy here and I leave them outside -- in the ground -- all year.

Joe

I do alot of gardening in pots due to lack of space and to keep some from rotting during the winter. I have several ornamental banana's and elephant ears in pots. Cannas, vines, globba gingers, gardenia, hibsicus and begonia's. For most of them I move them under my patio table and keep them dry during the winter. My plumerias sit on top of my dryer in the garage. I have some philo's I move into the bedrooms during the winter and one anthurium. Too much work for me otherwise.

I'll try and get some pictures tonight and post them later.

Yes I know its the "tropical-esque" forum. And I am also perfectly aware of what the suffix "-esque" means.
But in your own message, you typed:
"POTTED TROPICAL PLANTS etc etc..."
You did not type "POTTED TROPICALESQUE PLANTS", so you "misspoke", not I.

sojay- I'm a pot head -so to speak- and each year plant up 100's of annuals or what would be a annual in my zone. The only ones I really winter over are the brugmansia's sometimes the albutilons. Here are a few pictures from years gone by. I'll have pictures of this years containers in a couple of weeks.
grouping of brugs in pots
{{gwi:474640}}
pool deck planter late August-starting to look ratty

I have about 15 tropical hibiscus. For the ones that are in one or two gallon pots, I just sink the pot in the ground and hide it with bark mulch. In the fall, I yank out the pot and bring indoors. Best of both worlds, although you have to water a bit more than if they were in the ground. The hibiscus in bigger pots go in ground and I either dig them up and repot in the fall, or I take cuttings and start over (at some point, they are just too darn big to drag in and out).

Musa basjoo grows in ground. I used to bring a potted pup indoors for winter but they are now established enough that I don't bother.

Cannas usually get direct planted and I bring in some rhizomes to overwinter dormant. This past year some actually overwintered outdoors for the first time.

I personally don't care for the look of a pot sitting on top of a garden bed, but I love them around a deck or patio.

datdog, your planters are glorious!

Thanks, anyone bringing out crotons and do they do the transition well?

Dagdog: Your pictures/plants are beautiful

Thanks guys! I'd forgotten I even posted to this thread and was going to break out some pictures.

Planting in the pots is the highlight of my spring! I just spend the last couple of weeks planning and ordering exotics for my pots this summer. I can hardly wait!

Gorgeous photos and great informational posts. I hope to see more !!
Thanks,
-Sprout

Datdog, I think I saw some ajuga "Mahaogany" in one of your containers. I love the plant, which is quite hardy even up in Massachusetts z5b. The ones planted in the yard up here survived the winter ice and snow. It spreads like crazy if someone needs it to do so, and it takes both sun and shade. The flower spikes are bright blue and stand up to 6 or 8 inches high. They spread into the vinca minor and poke their blue spikes up out of that mass of ground cover.

Your grasses look fantastic also.
Do you use any hydrangeas, like the climbing petiolaris?

And most of the plants listed are hardy in z8B in Alabama, although I cover them with blankets for our hard freeze nights. My monstera deliciosa plants stay in huge tubs all year round. I'm waiting for them to begin climbing the hedges which were trimmed high like umbrellas.

This forum suits my style just fine. You all talk my language! :)

Here is the photo of my monsteras in the New Orleans style courtyard garden in south Alabama:
{{gwi:1302553}}

They spent the last two winters outdoors sometimes covered with blankets. They are still in big tubs, but may soon be planted. Everything in this corner is newly planted as of April 2008, and the old sand-laid bricks came from our old house which was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

I have bought a "tropical", I believe, from a local home improvement store intending on bring it indoors this winter. I can't seem to find any info. on it, it's called Cancion, i think but it says "Star of India." Very popular in Florida, i saw tons of it there. It's doing well in dappled shade on my deck and moderate water but I'd like to repot if I COULD before I bring it in. But, so many palms etc. don't like that.
Thank you!! LOVE THOSE CONTAINER PICS!!!