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.