Matthew Benson
A lush carpet of vivid green moss canevoke a fairytale landscape.
Reasons to Grow Moss in Your Garden
Some gardenersconsider moss a nuisanceto be eradicated from their yards.
With over 14,000 species of moss worldwide, gardeners can find moss varieties that tolerate dry and sunny areas.
Credit:Matthew Benson
It is also not a favorite food for deer and pests.
Aside from its sheer usefulness, moss is also bewitchingly beautiful.
Sourcing Moss
Before starting a moss garden, youll need to get your hands on some moss.
Credit:Michael Partenio
When foraging for moss, never harvest more than 1/10 of the moss you find.
Be sure to follow local foraging guidelines and acquire any permissions it’s crucial that you gather wild moss.
Rock Cap Moss
Rock cap moss (Dicranumspp.)
Credit:Bob Stefko
is a good choice for deep shade.
It can be used as a groundcover, but it also happily clambers over rock walls and boulders.
Hair cap moss is also one of the best mosses to grow for erosion control.
Credit:Laurie Black
Step 1: Prepare Your Planting Spot
Remove existing weeds, plants, and grass.
Rake the area free of any residual plant debris.
Unlike many ornamental plants, mosses typically thrive in acidic environments with a pH of around 5.5.
If youre working with moss sheets, lay the sheets down over the earth.
Water the moss plants daily for the next four to six weeks.
you’ve got the option to skip mowing if youre growing moss in your lawn or garden.
However, you will need to keep up with weeding the moss patches to ensure larger plants dont intrude.
Its also good practice torake leaves off moss patchesin autumn so the leaves dont smother the moss.
Fern moss and sheet moss will grow at a faster rate than other types of moss.
Since moss doesn’t have any roots, it can grow without soil.
It can spread on rocks, wood, fabric, and glass.
Moss can provide shelter for insects like beetles, spiders, ants, cockroaches, and worms.
However, it shouldn’t attract them any more than the other plants in your yard.
