Gardening in southern Spain: Gymea lily

Native to Australia, the Gymea lily is a clumping perennial that needs a lot of space in the garden.

Also called the giant spear lily, this plant can reach three metres high by the same across and needs deep loamy, well-drained soil. The botanical name is Doryanthes palmeri (doratus means spear and anthus means flower in Latin) the specific epithet palmeri is in honour of the premier of Queensland 1870-74, Sir Arthur Hunter Palmer.

The Gymea lily needs a location with full sun and will produce upright, sword-like leaves up to three metres long in dense rosettes. In early spring, an established rosette may produce a tall flower spike nearly four metres tall, with lots of cardinal red, trumpet shaped flowers. However, like the Agave, Doryanthes palmeri can take eight years to flower and once flowering has finished, the rosette will die.

Propagation is by seed or division. Division is best as the seed may take up to four months to germinate and then there is a long wait until it flowers. Each clump will contain several rosettes and these can be gently teased away and potted up. The gymea lily will withstand fires and in fact, will flower profusely in the heat of a bush fire.

Once established it is both drought and frost resistant and is ideal for xeriscaping and controlling soil erosion.