Is anyone growing this? Not sure which Equisetum it is, but definitely one of them. This is my third time at attempting to grow it as a pond plant. None have done well and the 1st two attempts didn't survive winter. Reading about it sure sounds like it ought to be an easy plant to grow, but the new one this year just sits there. Not much new growth to speak of and some canes have died and new canes aren't showing up to replace them.

The container sits in water at a depth of 2-3", but the crown is not covered. At the nursery I bought it they had it growing in a pond with the crown covered about 4", but those for sale were just in containers. They looked reasonably healthy, but not especially outstanding. Mine is in full sun.

Anyone here able to give me some tips? Is it cold hardy at all? On those I tried before I left the 1st one outside during the winter, but the 2nd I brought inside. Both simply were no shows come springtime.

I have never tried to grow it, but it grows wild on our river bank above the usual water line, in mostly sun. Our winter temperatures drop below freezing most winters - usually only briefly - and the plants survive. That's all I know about it.

I have a pot growing on a shelf in my pond for 3-4 yrs. It's not doing stunningly but I love it. I leave it in place all year, trim it up in the spring. It tends to grow "branches " (?) to me looks raggity. I like the upward parts. Kibe is not tight and compact as I'd like. It gets morning sun and some mottled afternoon sun. The elephant ear have somewhat invaded the pot's empty spaces. I will have to clean those out some day but for now, they live happily together.

I once had a large pond and tried several times to grow it. I love the way it looks, but I lost it every time. I'd love to know the trick to growing it.

Cheryl, your elephant ear sounds like my Nymphaea alba which has overrun the other Nymphaea in the trough. It's there, but you have to dig to find it. It's smaller and later and clearly needs its own trough. The alba at least is concealing the ugly plastic container which came with the Equisetum. The wind here keeps toppling over the pot. I wonder if up-sizing into a larger clay pot would trigger some new growth in the Equisetum. You're always told about not over potting and generally I don't necessarily abide by that rule. In this case the container would be sitting in water so I don't know. I wouldn't have control of the soil moisture. I may try anyway and see what happens.

I don't grow horsetail, but I have read they like near swampy areas, or moist conditions. So one of the reminders given is the high possibility it can be quite hard to eradicate later on if one's area is quite humid, since it reproduces easily via spores and rhizomes.

But I do like their vertical growth. My area is too dry anyways, so I do not try it at all.