Bright green moss creates soft, elegant slippers for shady trees at the Coastal Maine Botanical Garden in Boothbay — just one of the millions of beautiful spots you’ll find moss growing in Maine.
There are some who consider moss a weed, and eliminate it whenever possible. Others, especially the Japanese, appreciate it’s beauty and have perfected the art of moss gardens. – Images of Saiho-ji Zen Garden, known as Kokedera (Moss Temple) in Kyoto.
Moss requires low light and consistent moisture. In northern climates, moss is usually found on the north side of the tree or rock. And vice versa in the Southern Hemisphere. Where light is consistently low, it’s not so picky, and will grow anywhere.
There are multitudes of different mosses — about 100 species in an average US county.
They each have their own qualities. Spahagnum moss is very useful because it can hold 20 times it’s weight in liquid, and is often used in shipping nursery items to keep them fresh. It’s even used in surgical dressings. Spahagnym moss is believed to occupy 1% of the earth’s surface (half the area of the USA.)
This illustration is from Wikipedia’s entry on moss.
It’s rumored that a great way to start moss is to put the moss you want to grow into a blender, with a bit of sugar and even more buttermilk, beer, or yogurt. Then spread the mixture on a clean, smooth surface — rocks, dirt, pot — and keep it moist with mist. Would love to know if anyone’s tried it.
More on moss – -
Moss Acres — online source for purchasing moss.
Brooklyn Botanical Garden/ Joni Blackburn — Mad about Moss
George Schenk’s Moss Gardening: Including Lichens, Liverworts and Other Miniatures
