Brilliant! Thank you. Looking into it I think it is a Phormium tenax and a very big one at that. They only seem to grow in warm climates so it must for some reason enjoy it's home here in the cold UK as it just keeps on growing.

jekeesl, you will not hear me complain about your "lengthy non-answer"! The responses from you and saltcedar are exactly what I was looking for when I posted here: a healthy discussion about what this plant might be. So thank you to you both. I did do some more investigating, reading, and thinking. Here's my train of thought thus far. Of the 4 Spiranthes that you mentioned, which should be blooming now and are found in MS, only S. vernalis has previously been reported in Noxubee County. [ http://arcmapper.sc.egov.usda.gov/output/Counties_hyborea1v2068285225436.jpg ] I think that S. lucida is out because of its rarity, and it's leaves and height are wrong for this specimen. S. praecox is a closer fit in appearane, but it's rarity in the state tends to preclude it more than S. vernalis. I think that S. tuberosa is just too short for this specimen. I did read about the inflorescences of S. vernalis being quite variable, ranging from secund to loosely and even densely coiled, and flower shapes vary as well. [ http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242101968 ] All this leads me to believe that it probably is S. vernalis, but I will have to go back and double check carefully (with a magnifying glass) to be sure! thanks again, Katie

To me it looks like obedient plant (Physostegia). Hard to tell when it's not blooming, though.

Hi, Lillian! Lovely orchids. Just curious, what is that plant behind the orchid with the small leaves?