Thursday, November 21, 2019

Perplexed (WWTT?)

I love it when I'm out for a walk and I come upon a scene that makes me stop and wonder: What Were They Thinking? Yes indeed...this here is a head-scratcher!

Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of horsetail, Equisetum hyemale—love the stuff. I also know it can be horribly invasive, so I don't let it loose in the ground. But here they did...

And not just at one corner, but two...

Three...

Four...

And five!

Five corners planted up with the stuff!

I wonder why the other two were left alone? And why right at the corners?

Weather Diary, Nov 20: Hi 58, Low 40/ Precip 0

All material © 2009-2019 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

22 comments:

  1. Perhaps they're new to the area or to gardening and didn't know how invasive it is? It is a striking plant. I haven't even dared to grow it in a pot myself.

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    1. The last batch I had growing in a container didn't do so good. Sadly.

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  2. I wonder if they think those corners will contain it. It may take a while but it will fill that whole area solid. Dangerous beauty.

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    1. That's all that I can think of. Corralled on a couple of sides, leaving only the one to manage. Interesting.

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  3. Must agree it is rather an odd placement for corners not to mention the potential for it to spread. Maybe a discrete note on the door outlining it's conquering potential.

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    1. Oh gosh, I don't want to be that person.

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  4. When seeing the first photo I thought: maybe it's a volunteer and they are keeping an eye on... but evidently that is not an accident. I don't think nurseries are selling them. Mail ordered perhaps? I also think its fantastic looking plant (that I will not let take hold in my garden), but I like the trivia bit off the internet: "Equisetum hyemale is a “living fossil” with relatives that thrived during the Devonian period about 350 million years ago".

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    1. You kind find them here in Portland, no problem, they're quite popular for their sleek "mid century" style.

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  5. Someone didn't do their homework! ;)

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  6. Some people like to push their luck. I admit that I once planted a morning glory in the ground in my former garden, despite the warnings about doing so, thinking I could control it in the tiny space. Ha! It took me a good 2 years to get it all out.

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    1. Yikes! Morning glory...we inherited a patch of it, thankfully after a few years I seem to have won the battle.

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  7. Not sure; it does seem odd. Hmmmm...

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  8. Crikey. I admire their taste in architectural plants but they'll be hating life someday !At least the beds are bordered by concrete.

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  9. 2,3,4, and 5 look like a clever hell strip substitute for paired upright evergreens to flank the two paths. What beautiful foliage that tree has.

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    1. Wouldn't it be dramatic to walk through that space with the horsetail covering both sides of the walk? Yikes. Cool...and scary.

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  10. And by 'clever' I mean 'too clever by half', because it will take at least annual reduction to keep them in place in the corners.

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    1. I'll have to remember to do another walk-by...

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  11. Odd placement, indeed. I haven't grown this myself, so I don't know how true this really is, but I've read that limiting water can significantly reduce its rate of spread. Judging from the surrounding plants, it looks like they don't plan to water much. Maybe that was their thinking? As to whether it will work...

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  12. My best guess is that they don't know how invasive it is, but they wanted to plant something tall enough to be seen by pedestrians, and rigid enough that they are unable to cut the corners of the sidewalk and destroy their garden.

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