What you have here is the flowering head of a yucca plant.

You have a New Zealand Flax or Phormium Tenax. No record unfortunately, I have a plant at work that is 10 feet tall and then has an extra 4 or 5 feet for the flower spikes.

Incidently, has anyone else noticed how well the phormiums have flowered this year ? Don't think ive ever seen so many flower spikes on mine !!!

Hi, I agree with Badfish, a Phormium, rather than a Yucca, the leaves appear to be various "fans" rather than a rosette, also I think the flowers are wrong for Yucca, Derek.

Thank you for the info. I will research Phormium. I really thought that the leaves which are thick hard and sword like were very much like a mother-ion-law's tongue. As for height Badfish my plant is still growing much to my wife's annoyance!

Ah yes! You are right Badfish and Derekm. Ihave found http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phormium_tenax

Hi, if it was mother in laws tongue, it wouldn't be growing in the garden outside in the uk, they need a minimum winter temperature of 55 deg f, although in their native habitats of subtropical and tropical africa, they can reach 4ft or more, with a raceme of up to 30 inches, with green or greenish white flowers.
Botanical name Sansevieria trifasciata, btw, Derek.