Anigozanthos?
The following thread was started by Sharlene in White Rock on June 06, 2004 at 11:27 pm PST
They come from Western Australia, which has a warm-subtropical Mediterranean climate; as much or little rain as they get does tend to fall late autumn and early winter. What they can't stand is dampness combined with poor air circulation; they are notoriously disease-prone. They get some sort of black rot that kills them. Supposedly it doesn't occur in habitat because the local climate is breezy and the terrain open. Supposedly the "Bush Gem" hybrids are resistant.
I think they do well in open situations (no close neighbors) with good drainage and a gravel mulch around them.
I don't know all the species, but all the ones I do know of have evergreen leaves. Deciduousness is quite rare among Australian plants. If they go dormant at all it is perhaps in the sense that they stop growing during the dry season, which is during the summer.
Two of them are fitfully hardy, A. manglesii and A. flavida. Coldhardiness is relative. A. flavida is the hardier, but even it is only hardy enough for the mildest parts of the PNW. Some people say "as hardy as an Artichoke". Someone else will have to answer the question about successfully growing them on the lower mainland. I will guess that this would be pushing their hardiness.
Contrary to the name it is not always yellow, by the way. It can be yellow, green, red, or combinations thereof. It is quite a handsome plant and has several admirers on this board.
The above followup was added by Rob Wagner on June 07, 2004 at 8:16 pm PST.