Regarding Doryanthes excelsa, the Giant Gymea "lily" from Australia, I grew this plant about 15 years ago from "leftover" NARGS exchange seed, simply because I had no idea what it was and wanted to find out. My two seedlings still reside in the conservatory, in pots so large I can barely drag them much less repot them. One has bloomed several times, but the other never has; the flowering one gets more heat and sun. The nonflowering one, however, has more attractive foliage, indeed rather like a dark green, glossy yucca. They suffer occasionally from scale, controlled with an oil spray. I thought the flowers, which are dark red, were rather small for the scale of the plant. If it were not for the danger of transporting the scale, I'd cart them off to California and plant them outdoors. They are very drought and heat resistant (they have to be, since I can't move them outdoors with the smaller house plants in summer). They'd be a good "architectural" plant in warm gardens. Jane McGary Northwestern Oregon, USA