Planting DesignDiscover the right plants for your garden.
Who can protest the pleasure of moss , a 10 - second health spa discourse , a bed of berber that caresses the fillet of sole ? A stroll in the wood normally offer up us this pleasure — but so could a walk in the garden . fly high as a fixture in Japanese garden design , moss has only slowly crept West , though Norie Burnet of Richmond , Virginia , has been tend her moss garden for more than 10 geezerhood .
Moss develop in a checkerboard practice in this modern zen garden . photograph by : Chim / Shutterstock .
" There are seven naturally occurring type of moss growing in my thou , among them immobilise cushion moss ( Leucobryum glaucum ) , whisker cap moss ( Polytrichum commune ) andBryoandersonia illecebra . The mosses have make their own design over the years ; my part has just been to keep the garden free of debris , one of the closed book to good for you moss , " explains Norie .
Moss ' insidious contrasts of height and colouring have the potential to attract admirers . Dave Benner , founding father of moss retailerMoss Acresagrees : " When you give up moss to grow together in one blank space , they make interesting patterns without any defining or other preventive . My pilus - cap moss has grown almost 10 inches tall , and it attend like thousands of little trees speckling the thou . My fern moss is lighter and curt and makes a overnice direct contrast . "
Moss , which thrives in damp environments , adds to the aged show of this bulwark outflow . picture by : Nejron Photo / Shutterstock .
For those of us who are n’t patient enough to wait for raw development , moss can be transplant . Moss Acres deal four different mosses in clumps by the boxwood , useable severally or in a sampler box so you could test them all . To transplantation , the clumps should be moistened , then pushed firmly into cleared stain — no digging , please — exit about 1 foot between each clustering . Choose a shady localization where the pH is between 5.0 and 5.5 . Lacking dead on target roots , moss admit its nutrients from the air , which explain why it grow in areas of poor soil . It is also drought resistant , supply it has sufficient spectre . A misting kit will avail keep the moss green , or you could let it brown and wait for the rains to revive it later .
But what of moss as a design prick ? The Japanese use moss to interpret nature , a central part of their gardening . It is grow and shaped into thick , sprawling carpets or modern geometric forms , depending on the gardener ’s interpretive style . Moss is also used to enforce a sensory faculty of maturity on Japanese garden . While only the passing game of time adds true eld to a garden , measured moss placement will decrease the immature look of a recently planted plot . Garden designer Junko Liesfeld of Montpelier , Virginia , has used moss in her own garden for a naturalistic issue , under hedges , on rocks and along paths .
Liesfeld also likes to introduce moss in place of grass in small gardens . " So many people today have a tiny one thousand neighboring to a townhouse or condominium . A thick carpet of moss has a rich textured look that I prefer to grass . " Add one or two well - placed tree diagram and a few beautiful rocks and you have an inviting yet bare intention that works within the small blank space .
