The Grass Doctor

What is this plant in my garden?

There is a huge grass type plant in my garden that looks a little like Pampas Grass just without the sticks with fluff. It sat and did nothing but grow for the first couple of years after we moved in but suddenly grew these tall stems with seed pods which bare a slight resemblance to a Bird of Paradise flower. http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs423.ash1/23417_398086616672_730331672_4411453_7034629_n.jpg

Public Comments

1. It looks like a relative of the agave.... http://www.floracyberia.net/spermatophyta/angiospermae/monocotyledoneae/agavaceae/agave_americana.jpg
2. This is a Phormium tenax, and if i don't make mistake the variate ''Purpurea''. Every year make these stems with red flowers. It likes to grow up in or at the sides of lawn. When the flower fall down cut the stem from the base. An other advise is don't cut the leaves that are down just pull out the dry leaves when they aloud you.
3. Hi. It's a Phormium tenax and a fine looking specimen too. Stuart.