Equisetum hyemale – scouring rush – Equisetaceae

Notes/Site: Rush/Sedge. From Eurasia, North America. Zone 4-9. Up to four feet in height and six feet spread. Non flowering. Full sun to part shade. Medium to wet soil. Water plant, naturalize, rain garden.  Tolerant of heavy shade and a range of soils. Will grow in 4″ of standing water. Spreads to form large colonies in the wild. Aggressive and will spread by creeping rhizomes. Definitely needs a soil barrier or something to constrict the spreading. They are categorized as a fern because it is non flowering and produces spores.

Aesthetic/Notes: It is strikingly different from many plants, thus it is an interesting feature in a garden or landscape. The fact it can be colonizing and contained along with it’s dense form, can create a continuous massing form. It needs fairly wet soil. I am not a fan of heavily irrigated landscapes, so I would place this plant low on the watertable level, where water will drain towards it in a contained rain garden/pond.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/7/6002/5932094086_3ba9377826_b.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/63/f5/89/63f5898662efe32877eddc7b526b31ec.jpg