Towering above the other foliage and even past the eaves of the white house where it grows on West 27th Street, the blue agave plant is in the prime of its life.

It is dying.

Also known as a century cactus and century plant, it holds clumps and bunches of blooms, offering them to the sun and declaring its pride to all who pass by.

But its glory days will soon come to an end. “... After it does this one last stage, it uses all its energy up and the plant dies off,” said Joe Juneau, whose home the plant adorns. “That’s what makes me feel bad ’cause I’ve been ...