Equisetum Hyemale

• Found in the wild all over North America, Equisetum hyemale is considered invasive in some areas. If it's used as a landscape plant, make sure it does not spread and take over the rest of your garden. The evergreen rushes grow up to 4 feet tall. Because the plant contains ample amounts of silica crystal, do not plant it where children, pets or livestock could possibly consume it. If it's accidentally ingested, contact a physician or veterinarian, as the sharp crystals will cause intestinal pain and possible damage.
  
  

Description

• The stems of the horsetail rush are jointed and hollow and they lack branches, with a diameter of approximately one-third of an inch. Small leaves join around the stem, forming a slim dark green or black band at every joint. Horsetail rush, a fern, does not produce seeds or flowers but develops a strobilus at the end of fertile stems. The spore-producing strobilus is brown with a cone-like shape. The spores cannot be seen by the human eye.
  
  

Landscaping Uses

• Horsetail rush is generally planted at a pond's edge or in water gardens or Japanese-type gardens. Because of its tendency to invade, do not plant the rush in the soil but keep it in containers buried in the ground with the plant even with the earth. It will form a dense stand; if planted rather than contained alongside an ornamental pond, it can deter weed development. Remove dead stalks regularly.
  
  

Care

• Horsetail rush prefers full or partial sunlight. It needs moist soil and will die if planted in a dry area or if the soil dries out. It does well in very wet soils but should not be completely submerged in a pond. It is hardy in United States Department of Agriculture zones 3 through 11. To propagate it, divide its clumps and plant the individual roots at once. Horsetail rush spreads by underground stems.