When Craig and I were at the Chinese Reconciliation Park on the waterfront Thursday, we noticed something that it seems everyone around here must contend with: dreaded horsetails.

It's a scourge in my neighborhood, for sure. I have spent days and days pulling them out. That is, until I heard Marianne Binetti talking at the Point Defiance Flower & Garden show.

Her advice? Keep a pair of scissors close to your garden bed. When you see a horsetail, cut it off to the ground. Don't yank, don't pull. She said it stimulates more growth. So I have been clipping, not pulling, for a month now. So far? Doesn't seem to be working. At all. Here, photographic evidence. Take a look at this giant one nestled under my California lilac.

They seem to be coming back stronger and even more, uh, vibrant and alive! It shouldn't surprise me, I guess. The little beasts are prehistoric. They've outlived everything. So me and my scissors? Totally no match, I guess.

Whats a green-thumb girl to do? Anyone have a proven way to get rid of horsetail that does not involve chemical removal? Post here! Let us know.