Magnificent Moss

In April of 2007 when I planted a moss garden I was so pleased with myself, unlike any garden I have ever installed the moss rewarded me instantly. I will even go as far as to say that I was pleasantly shocked by this elegant garden, somehow the vision in my minds eye didn’t match the end result. Now this imbalance between vision and end result is an often occurrence but more commonly it is a grandiose vision with less than grandiose result. I began this project by turning to George Schenk’s “Moss Gardening Including Lichens, Liverworts and Other Miniatures” this book is considered the authoritative voice on the subject. A few things I learned that were helpful in understanding the needs of my new garden were the following;
1. Moss has no root system it anchors itself to the ground using rhizoids.
2. Moss has no vascular tissue for sending nutrients and water throughout the plant.
3. Moss gets its nourishment from the air, photosynthesis, and water.
4. Under stressful conditions moss (like lichens) are able to temporarily stop growing and go dormant.
5. Moss reproduces by means of spores which are very dependent on an ample supply of moisture. As moss is not taking up moisture through its roots it is much happier receiving a constant fine misting rather than a frequent drenching.
After preparing the soil by removing existing plant material I loosened the surface slightly. The area I intend to plant was far too large for me to ever hope to collect from around my yard and transplant.
I contacted Moss Acres and ordered a variety of moss.

Fern Moss - Thuidium Cushion Moss - Leucobryum
Hair Cap Moss - PolytrichumAll of which thrive in acidic sandy soil in full shade.
My moss garden soil tested with a ph of 4.4 so there was no need to apply any type of acidifiers, but this is an important factor so you may want to test your soil to determine your ph. The spring and summer of 2007 was unusually dry so I don’t know why I was surprised when the slugs came slithering in, after all what more could they ask for slightly damp soil, a blanket of moss to shield them from the sun and predators, and a house that was dinner as well. Although the slug damage was beginning to tarnish my elegant garden it was manageable and I didn’t mind striking out early in the morning to hand pick and destroy these critters after all the slimy residue the slugs left on my finger tips made for a more secure grip around the thousands of weeds that were rising up everywhere and in some cases lifting the moss up off the ground. Note the brown circle of dead moss in the center of photo is the result of slug damage. I had recalled reading an experienced gardeners comment on a chat forum not so long ago that she often weeded her moss garden with tweezers and thought to myself at the time that she was a far more dedicated gardener than I would ever become, but now I was faced with so many weeds I had to learn how to do it with both hands. I convinced myself that if I kept on top of the weeding for the first few years it would eventually become more manageable. As our dry summer lingered on it became apparent that I hadn’t exactly chosen the best location for this garden as it abutted a very large blueberry bush that was attracting birds. I have come to discover that birds do the most damage to my garden, one morning I watched some Robins feast first on some blueberries then with one fluid motion lift large sheets of moss and toss them over their shoulder and walla breakfast was served. The watering was never ending, the misting system that I had invested in proved to be useless as a strong constant breeze blew the mist into areas of the woodland that I didn’t intend it to go. Sometime around midsummer I surrendered, it become clear that the drought, birds, and weeds were winning so I turned my back and ignored its presence. In spite of my neglect the moss garden survived and well you might even say thrived as you can see in this photo taken at the end of December.
Some tips that you won’t find from any reputable source but I learned the hard way.
1. Hortabsorb bonding gel that is recommended was a disastrous mess that kept the edges of the moss too moist which for me delayed the ability of the moss to hook on to the soil and resulted in some rotting.
2. The best way to deal with an area that has an abundance of moss growing with sparse scraggly grass scattered through out, is to lay some thick cardboard on top with a layer of mulch to hold down the cardboard, wait a few months checking every few weeks until the grass has died, you can then transplant the moss to another location or better yet fill in with more moss and you’ll have a beautiful mow free garden.
3. Moss that grows on bark is unlikely to be happy growing on soil. If you are transplanting moss attempt to mimic the same conditions.
4. Plastic netting will deter birds and small critters as well makes for easy removal of tree waste but is difficult to weed with, tie down, and it does alter the visual impression.