This is a very special agave in that if you are patient it will produce the most spectacular flower borne on great arching spikes 2 metres high - however it is not easy to predict when they will appear.
In most cases the plant will die soon after flowering but new pups will have appeared alongside to take over, so it is therefore classed as a perennial.
The rest of the time it makes an attractive and graphic shape in borders and rockeries with its very distinct rosettes of wavy green to grey leaves with small closely-spaced soft spines along the margins.
They can be sharp, so watch out.
With a dark gravel mulch as background it is a designers gem making a dramatic and interesting statement of shape.
It also goes well in large pots or tubs and will definitely be a curiosity with visitors, in flower or not.