Plant Highlights

A living relic that predates the dinosaurs, Equisetum hyemale, known as Horsetail or Scouring Rush, is a striking, reed-like perennial plant with a distinctly vertical growth habit. Horsetail grows 4’ to 6’ high, and is made up of single, jointed, non -branching stems that are ringed with dark bands at regular intervals. These bamboo-like cylindrical stems are evergreen, hollow, and highly resistant to hungry deer. It is found in damp conditions in the wild, alongside streambeds and creeping into the shallow edges of ponds. Horsetail does well in full sun, part shade, or full shade, and is suitable for container gardening. Horsetail learned to propagate itself before the plant kingdom invented flowers as vehicles of reproduction—it spreads readily and aggressively through underground root systems instead, and can be VERY hard to remove once established. A good way to deter the plant from becoming invasive but to keep the natural look is to plant it in containers that are then sunk into the ground or water feature. Horsetail needs regular water to keep looking its best, and adapts to many soil types. A classy choice for water gardens, as the stems provide a handsome geometric contrast to the organic forms of most other plants.