Growing a Moss Garden

I don't know about you, but one of the most intriguing things about this time of year is the color green. Everywhere you turn there are all these different shades of green, and I love the shades that are reflected in moss.

Just take a look at some of this that I gathered in the woods. Moss is often underrated and underestimated. There are lots of uses for it. If you got a situation where you can't grow grass--it's too shady or maybe the soil's too acidic-- you might just think about doing an entire landscape of moss. It can be very beautiful and compelling. For me, moss goes beyond color.

It's the texture that can really arrest your attention. You take moss with its velveteen covering, a few rocks, and flowing water--well, you've created a magical space.

Now, what I'm doing today is I'm actually going to get some moss started on some of these pots. In my shade garden, they look really good with moss growing on them. They look really old. This is a very simple recipe. You simply take some club moss that you would gather in the woods. You take one part moss to one part sugar to 3 parts beer--ah, the secret ingredient--and hit "puree."

Now, let this blend for about one minute. What you're creating here is really a moss smoothie. You just take off the lid. Now you're ready to take this mixture and just apply it to the container like this. Now, one little tip: you can actually moisten the container, soak them in water, and they'll take the substance in better than if they're dry like this. You just want to coat the entire terra cotta pot...with a paintbrush.

And then what I like to do is go ahead and sit this pot in place in the north side of the house where it's cool and moist. That's the key here. You have to create an environment for the moss to grow. You've inoculated the pot with the spores, and the beer and the sugar serve as food for the moss, and now all you have to do is wait.

Now, this takes a little while. So if you expect to have moss on here for a weekend party, you better forget it. It's not going to happen. But it's really worth the wait because what happens is these pots take on a quality all their own. They grow a beautiful patina. They actually have a living plant growing on them, and they can add quite a bit of atmosphere to your garden.

Give it a try.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• P. Allen Smith
• shade gardening
• sustainable living
• moss
• beer
• sugar
• fungus
• spores
• blender
• garden home retreat
• recipe

[richardjbekker]

Thanx for the video, Very informative!

I've just tried it and we'll see how it turns out.

One thing you neglected to mention was,

You gotta drink the rest of the beers!

Thanx once again for a great video!

[Rinne13X]

0:54 r those Kalanchoes?

[poosaypirate]

ohter reciples allow for clay , which will hold the moisture for longer periods of time to feed the moss, i guess with the clay pot its not needed but it works great on stone or poor soil

[1ukjunglednbraver]

my back garden lawn is mostly moss this time of year there is next to no grass just moss.....deep lovely spongy moss..its doesnt look so clever in the summer though

[HTCSWEOD]

This is THE BEST moss starting video I have found.... thank you so much for producing this... exactly what I was looking for! Does this process work as well for all moss species? An instant favorite!

[dalecalder2003]

I love moss and have large areas in my lawn which have turned to moss, I hope it spreads and takes over the rest then I can get rid of the mower.

[spacewalker1551]

PAllen Smith is awesome to watch. Very smart guy.