Gymea Lily Making A Solo Come Back

[DeborahJane]

I think it was last year I posted photos of my 2 Gymea Lilies as they grew from little tots to giants a couple of metres high, not knowing what they were. Only one has appeared this year. Fascinating plant. Hopefully you can make it out. Centre stage.

 

[alp]

Oh, it's beautiful. I had to google it as I had never heard of this beauty .. Thank you for sharing.

Wow, you're going to have a very good show a few years down the road when you have about 5 to 10 spikes.. Lovely!

Hope you don't mind my photos which I googled

Is this the one?

Wish I could grow this! Very, very striking and architectural!

 

[DeborahJane]

Mine is more like your second photo alp but conditions here aren't really suitable for it to flourish so it does its' best but it's a bit of a "poor cousin" really

 

[alp]

Could we have a close up of your beauty please? I feel like I have usurped your host role. But I have never seen such a beautiful plant here in this country. I so want to copy and paste the columnar beauties, but it's your thread .. I need to behave!

 

[DeborahJane]

Could we have a close up of your beauty please? I feel like I have usurped your host role. But I have never seen such a beautiful plant here in this country. I so want to copy and paste the columnar beauties, but it's your thread .. I need to behave!

 

[alp]

Whoa! What a handsome architectural plant! You mean the round flower has morphed into a spike? I have to guess as I have never seen this beauty before. Such a striking beauty .. I would love to have 5 to these to make a statement.

Thank you so much for the effort and sharing with us your pride and joy!

Deborah, you have such a verdant and beautiful combo - fern, flowering lily and weigela.

 

[alp]

is that aeonium on the right please, @DeborahJane ? What are those orange birdies like things on top of the flowers? Are they some shaped fruits from China? Hehe.. They look like birds ..

 

[DeborahJane]

Yes the black aeonium is growing through the flax and the bird like plant is Bird of Paradise or Streslekia so you've got it in one alp. It's a stunner when it flowers isn't it? This is my Hot Garden, all reds, oranges and yellows . But with the odd pinks and deep purple but only once a year when they flower. The pink is an Azalea and the deep purple a Black Tulip Magnolia. Worth it even if they're the "wrong" colour

 

[DeborahJane]

Whoa! What a handsome architectural plant! You mean the round flower has morphed into a spike? I have to guess as I have never seen this beauty before. Such a striking beauty .. I would love to have 5 to these to make a statement.

Thank you so much for the effort and sharing with us your pride and joy!

Deborah, you have such a verdant and beautiful combo - fern, flowering lily and weigela.

The flower just comes out in those tubular shapes. I thought they'd open up but didn't happen last year. Love sharing. Some people get bored with garden talk!!! But WE don't do we?

 

[alp]

I think I should go to the specsavers! (other opticians are available) Those shiny birdies seem to be at the end of two metal sticks. You're so lucky to have such a big garden and can have different colour themed corners... I just plant one plant on top of an forgotten one.

No, we're never bored with showing off or talking about our flowers. So much simple pleasures to be had . just looking at them .. Don't believe in religion, but the complexity of nature and beauty of shapes never fail to amaze and amuse me.. Love that G lily of yours. Make sure you upload another photo when the bud are in full splendour please!

 

[DeborahJane]

Sorry alp. You are absolutely right, nothing wrong with you eyesight. Those birds are on sticks.

 

[alp]

Ah.. cuties!

 

[Marck]

The blooming plant identified in the original post (OP) and again in the fifth post as the Australian native, Gymea LIly (Doryanthes excelsa), is actually a Beschorneria sp., native to Mexico. The two plants have somewhat similar foliage, but very different flowers and are in different plant families, Doryanthaceae and Agavaceae, respectively.

Also note that the tall, variegated leaves are not those of the Beschorneria, but are rather a cultivar of New Zealand Flax (Phormium tenax or a hybrid)

An example of the flowers of Gymea Lily are shown in the second pic of the second post.

The first pic of the second post is yet another plant entirely: Torch Ginger (Etlingera elatior), native to Thailand and Malesia.