Hello Lucy! Nice blooms. I have some kangaroo paws in ground. They are actually very fussy plants. They are from parts in Australia where they experience regular, prolonged drought. They often go dormant in the summer, so summer water will kill them. I have mine on a drip irrigation system and they receive minimal water in the summer, but they also have excellent drainage, so the water just keeps them from going dormant. They are an excellent plant for xeric gardens. I have mine growing alongside aloes, agaves, beschorneria, ice plants, yuccas, sedums...all of which have similar water needs. One other thing, they are very suceptible to a kind of fungus if they are watered overhead. That's why I have mine on a drip system. Do a google search to find out more infomation on them. They are also fussy about soil PH requirements I think. Good luck! Note: If you remove spent blooms, most varieties will rebloom for you.

Your photo doesn't indicate cold damage, but instead is evidence that yours has Ink Spot disease, which they are very prone to getting if stressed, overwatered by regular spray irrigation, or not getting enough full sun or good air exposure. Sacramento probably is borderline for best performance, unless they are in a protected microclimate that doesn't regularly freeze. I'd suggest you check the drainage, move them into full sun, cut out the diseased foliage, keep the spray irrigation off them, and avoid using any complete fertilizer with phosphorus in it. Or just treat them as annuals, as they look so healthy and full in bloom at places like Home Depot this time of year. All of my Kangaroo Paws always look their very best in winter with the full sun/perfect air circulation/perfect drainage/no overhead spray irrigation and well draining sandy soil in a garden where it stays mild and warm in winter. In my opinion, they are best along the coast, rather than inland Sacramento...

Anigozanthus 'Harmony' may be an easier yellow flowered form to try, as with all of them, they can be difficult to establish in hot weather as the roots can dry out too quickly before they get rooted in. A month into the winter rains is usually a great time to get them established, avoid under and overwatering. Other yellows to consider in the same vein of taller yellow flowers might include Achillea 'Coronation Gold' or Bulbine frutescens, or one of the yellow flowering forms of Alstroemeria.

A 5 gallon nursery can with crammed roots in a south facing spot and only getting handwatered twice a week; you killed it from lack of water, plain and simple. I agree that Kangaroo Paws can be temperamental to grow with regard to drainage and proper watering, but the Anigozanthus flavidus cultivars are among the easiest to grow. Do amend the soils for good drainage, give it full sun and good air circulation and avoid overhead spray on the foliage if you want to minimize the Ink Spot disease, and regularly prune off infected foliage to the ground, especially if it isn't getting full sun and/or good air circulation. I have found that some species/cultivars of Anigozanthus are much more tolerant of clay soils than others, and any of the A. flavidus cultivars are fairly tolerant of clay, as well as it is sloped or amended slightly so that it doesn't stay saturated. Not a good candidate for planting where it gets constant overhead spray irrigation which in combination with too little full sun can lead to the fungal disease. While this plant is rather drought tolerant in the ground once it is established, as a container plant in its original size container from the nursery, twice a week watering in full hot sun just isn't enough, and you cooked it. Get another one now that it has cooled down, get it into the ground in full sun with good drainage, and the twice a week watering regimen will probably work just fine. If you prefer to keep it in a container, buy a smaller one gallon, repot into a larger 5 gallon container, and hook it up to an automatic drip irrigation system so that it gets a little bit every or every other day, or keep an eye on the plant so that it doesn't ever go bone dry between waterings.