My Garden Odyssey: The moss garden

EPISODE XXXI

SHE SAID: Some things happen in the garden by design, others are the result of serendipity; our moss garden being a perfect example of the later. We'd seen pictures of the famous moss Temple Garden at Saihoji, of course. And we'd even seen the incredible moss garden at the Bloedel Reserve in the Pacific Northwest in person. But living in the upper Midwest, we never thought we'd be able to have a moss garden of our own — not until I realized we had the classic American dilemma: lawn grass that was attempting to grow in ever deepening shade under a pair of mature apple trees.

My moss garden on a good day.

One day I realized there were lush patches of moss growing in the midst of the grass. You couldn't actually see them unless you were at ground level looking down. I wondered how one could get rid of the grass without harming the moss. For starters, I decided on a low-tech approach: I sat down and began to pull out the grass — stem by stem — until the moss patch was visible. I held the moss in place with the palm of one hand while I pulled out the grass with the other hand. Usually, the grass just pulled through the moss, roots and all, without doing serious damage. 

I knew nothing about moss before I began my grass removal process — neither of us did. But two men came to our rescue: the first was George Schenk with his award-winning book, "Moss Gardening Including Lichens, Liverworts, and Other Miniatures." The book was packed with information, ideas for employing moss in the garden and gorgeous, inspirational pictures. Schenk's book convinced me a moss garden was worth the effort required.

Moss growing in a moist, shady corner of the garden.

The second font of moss wisdom was Andrew Hipp who taught a two-day workshop, "Introduction to Wisconsin Mosses," at the UW-Madison Arboretum. At the time, Hipp was finishing up his PhD at UW; today Dr. Hipp is the plant systematist and herbarium curator at the Morton Arboretum in Illinois. Mark and I both signed up for the class and spent a number of pleasant hours looking at and learning about mosses in a funky old classroom that was like a small cabin and had been built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s when they were part of the team effort that built the Arboretum.

Liverwort (both images from our garden, above) often piggybacks on the soil of nursery plants. 

We discovered a lot about mosses, including:

1. There are 13,000 species of mosses and 380 types can be found in Wisconsin. There are fewer mosses in urban areas as they are sensitive to pollution. 

2. Mosses can dry down and re-hydrate when it rains. Knowing that bit of info keeps me from watering my moss patches even during periods of drought.

Spore cases (I think) on an unidentified moss in the garden.

3. Mosses will come to your garden based on the conditions you have. So I don't take any moss from the wild or other locations. That way I get the ones that are looking for acidic clay soil — which is where my best mosses all grow. I also don't have to wonder which ones want sun and which shade as the appropriate ones will site themselves. Our largest moss garden is under big old apple  trees; but other patches are next to the fence on both sides of the drip line; between tree roots and stepping stones in both sun and shade, on moist ground and on hard-packed clay.

Moss growing on clay soil under the drip line of the fence roof.

4. Mosses are almost always growing with other different mosses. If you look at this photo you can see three different types. Identifying them, however, is always done under a microscope using particular parts of the moss. We brought samples of moss from our garden to the class and had them identified; but we would be hard pressed to name any of them today. We decided to just enjoy them and encourage them, but not worry about names and id's. We opted for the sensuality of moss over the science.

Multiple kinds of mosses growing together.

One of the things I've learned from experience is that mosses can come and go. They may suddenly desert a location where they grew lushly for a few years. Sometimes they return to a spot nearby, though usually not the exact same place. So I try to keep the patches weed free and to remove leaves and other debris which will suffocate the moss or keep it from direct contact with soil. I try to make sure that I'm not the cause of the mosses' disappearance.

Moss used to grow between the root flares where Mark is standing, but it disappeared a few years ago. Now moss is growing on dry, hard-packed dirt between the  tree and the stepping stones.

Moss is a much prettier and softer ground cover than grass and looks great during winter thaws unlike lawn suddenly revealed by snow melt. But it can't take the rough and tumble that grass can (kids and dogs), nor is it particularly low maintenance. It may not need fertilizing or weekly cuttings but I am constantly working to keep it clean and free of the wood chips which wash over the brick edging of the path adjacent to the moss during big storms. That's an ongoing maintenance issue that we plan to devote our attention to this summer. 

The moss at this end of the bed still needs weeding and you can see where the mulch from the path has washed over the bricks and into the moss.

One gardener I know uses fine mesh to keep the leaves and debris off her moss. I bought a big piece from her last summer but have not been exactly vigilant in using it.In fact, the moss is covered with tiny green crab apples and yellowing leaves that have fallen in the last couple of days. I pick them up constantly but my efforts only last a few minutes at most.

The other moss maintenance issue is weeding. It is ideal for seedlings of everything from dandelions to Jack-in-the-pulpit. There's always clumps of fine grass or vining weeds to pull out. 

Dappled light on the moss looks lovely but tricks me into reaching for clumps of light when I think I'm reaching for fallen yellow leaves.

Given the moss/grass comparison, would we encourage you to grow moss instead? Absolutely. I like to think of it the way George Schenk does: "I personally find that while moss certainly requires care, the job seems to give back more than does the relentless routine of lawn upkeep," he notes in his book. "The work of moss gardening has an elitist quality that I must admit I find appealing. Every John and Jane grows grass. Only Nature's chosen grow moss."

Comments

[eliz]

Beautiful, and congratulations on your moss, but I am not growing it. Constant weeds, special fabric, may come and go, disappearing for no reason, sensitive to pollution .. It sounds like a huge hassle!

i'd like it for my garden though--it would work.

[Gail]

I love moss and have a small patch in the way back...The mosquitoes keep me from viewing it too often...I do enjoy it in the winter months!gail

[LINDA from EACH LITTLE WORLD]

Elizabeth — when you put it that way ... it does sound like too much work. But I love it. And weeding the moss is much easier and more soothing than almost any other garden chore. I always save it for the end of the day when it will be cool and shady under the trees.

Gail — luckily I can see it from indoors when the snow melts or the mosquitoes are a problem.

[Pam/Digging (Austin)]

I like that it will find you...if it finds your garden worthy. ;-)

[LINDA from EACH LITTLE WORLD]

Pam — that makes it a very economical addition to the garden: you don't have to buy it, water it or fertilize it!

[Les]

We get people in the garden center trying to get rid of it. My first question to them is - why would you want to get rid of it?

[LINDA from EACH LITTLE WORLD]

Les — you are so right! But people love their grass, don't they?

[Mr. McGregor's Daughter]

I'll have to take a closer look at my moss next time I'm outside. I had no idea there was more than one type growing out there. I had the start of a great moss garden until my neighbor cut down a large tree. The area is now in full sun.

[LINDA from EACH LITTLE WORLD]

MMD — I understand your predicament all too well. I am worried about the big old trees where my big moss patch is located. They are old and weak and if they go, then my shady moss will be in full sun. Not good.

[Green Fingers]

Linda, Just catching up with your posts.

I have an interesting observation about weeds in moss. I have a fairly significant patch of moss under three Hamamelis. I have very little planted there, for now, and I get quite a few weeds that move in. As with several large open patches I have used glyphosate (Roundup) about once a summer. As best I can tell it doesn't seem to effect the moss.

Now before anyone goes & tries this it could be that the species of moss I have is uniquely resistant. So don't blame me if you try it. But also remember that it is never mentioned when folks are recommending things to eliminate moss.

I've become quite fond of my moss. If you get down really close you might just find one of those shocking red mites lumbering through. I keep trying to get a photo of the red contrasting on the bright green.

John

[LINDA from EACH LITTLE WORLD]

John — Thanks for the suggestion. We've used Roundup elsewhere but I don't think on the moss. My patch is big enough that I could give it a try in a small spot.