Yes, you should rush

One of the plants that I can't really make up my mind about is scouring rush (Equisetum hyemale). In the horsetail family, it's also called "rough horsetail". It's an aggressive spreader so I've been growing it in a pot for a few years. It's quite a nice plant with strong architectural qualities, it's quite cold-hardy, and doesn't seem to be bothered by pests although I've had trouble with rabbits eating it before.

So, why can't I make up my mind? Probably because it needs a constant supply of water and if it doesn't stay wet enough some of the stems flop over. Those stems then grow horizontally, breaking up the nice vertical look of the rest of the stems.

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(I should point out that I'm not certain that the stems falling over are due to thirst, but that's what it seems like to me.)

Um... I was going to make a long list of the things I don't like about this plant, but it seems the list is shorter than I thought. Is it because it can be invasive? No, I grow running bamboos and this guy is a kitten compared to some of those. Is it because it needs too much tending? No, all it needs is to stay wet and some fertilizer once in a while, but that's it. It's also a Missouri native, which is almost always a good thing.


Hey, maybe I do really like this plant after all... let's take a look so I can decide:

I don't know about you, but I didn't see anything that I didn't like.

So I guess I've made up my mind: this is definitely a plant that I really like growing! In fact I'm going to take some divisions of it today so I have more plants, and will put this guy into a larger pot -- it wants more room!

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