For anyone who hasn't seen an Agave bloom, they look like giant asparagus.. I have a few on the cottage property down by the mailboxes... When one of them bloomed, someone came and cut the stalk... I thought it was a very strange thing to do... but recently I was at a party, where the homeowner is a fine woodworker. He had several surfboards hanging from the ceiling that were museum pieces made from exotic woods. One was agave, which they get from the stalk...