Moss gardens can be velvety soft yet tough as nails

By Dean Fosdick
The Associated Press

Just what is this thing about moss? How is it that a primordial plant so soft and soothing generates so much angst among grass growers?

“There are people out there who worship lawns,” says Christine Cook, an artist and landscape designer from Easton, Conn. “They don’t want a single blade of anything except grass to appear.

“But a lot of lawns may not be suited to grass,” she says. “Grass is very high maintenance and doesn’t serve the animal kingdom. Grass really doesn’t offer much.”

That’s one gardener’s opinion, of course. But it is difficult for grass to grow where moss thrives. And that would include soils rich in acid or in ground compacted, shaded or poorly drained.

Controlling moss often calls for introducing the same conditions that are good for growing grass. Put another way: Produce a healthy lawn and you’ll gather no moss.

“I’ve had golf course people call me, asking how to get rid of it,” Cook says. “After talking with them about 20 minutes, some want to begin using moss on their golf courses.”

That isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds. While you wouldn’t want to keep punching holes in it with your golf shoes, moss can withstand foot traffic surprisingly well.

The artist in Cook likes the gentle, round look of moss — its varied textures, velvety aesthetics and cool colors.

Moss provides a lush green backdrop even in winter, when most plants have lost their leaves. It also doesn’t need to be mowed, fertilized or pruned.

“Once established, you don’t have to water it,” she says. “There are mosses that grow well in full, blazing sun. Some like dappled light. Some like deep shade.”

Cook, who calls her landscape business Mossaics, says she appreciates those small moss-covered pockets you occasionally discover while walking in the woods.

“I think of mossy areas as hidden gems,” she says. “Moss is quietly pleasing when draped over a log or a large rock.”

Moss long has played a distinctive role in English and Japanese gardens. Now you’re seeing moss used more frequently in butterfly gardens, dragonfly gardens, rock gardens and water gardens.

Moss gardens can take a few years to get going. Rush the job, and you chance attracting slugs, which attract larger predators, Cook says.

“If you put (moss) plugs in two- to three feet apart, you can get a complete and utterly glorious garden in two or three years,” she says. “When you think about it, English gardens don’t look so great for at least two or three years.”

Moss placed checkerboard fashion is one way to get things growing. Using moss milkshakes is another. That’s an organic solution of half moss, half buttermilk that can be stirred up in your kitchen blender. Apply the mixture with a paintbrush to most any porous surface you would like to see supporting a living layer of moss.

Given the proper amount of shade, moisture and temperature, that method should take about a month to produce.

Moss is easy to transport and transplant year-round, says Al Benner, owner of Moss Acres, a mail-order company in Honesdale, Pa.

“We offer it like sod and we send it to people from the Carolinas to California,” he says. “Moss does best in acidic soils with a pH of around 5.5. But it isn’t all that particular about soil type provided it has moisture and shade. It gets its nutrients from air and water, not roots.” Benner’s company specializes in marketing four different kinds of moss: fern moss, cushion moss, rock cap moss and haircap moss. All do well in that Pocono mountain region.

Fern moss is by far the most popular variety. Also called “sheet moss,” it’s the lowest growing, fastest spreading, most economical and versatile, Benner says.

“Prices range from $4 to $10 a square foot, which isn’t so much when you think about it,” he says. “Moss gardens usually aren’t that large.”

Moss is an easy to maintain, easy to keep substance. Its survivability is extraordinary, Benner says.

“We store it dry. It can go dormant for years. Once it’s watered, it comes back.”

There’s something special about being around a moss garden, Benner says..”