I was amazed when people on the different gardening e-mail lists started asking directions for growing moss. After all, this was the plant that grew where nothing else would. I was always taking out pieces of moss that had started in plants I bought at the local nurseries. Moss growing on troughs? Yuck, was my usual reaction. In response to the repeated requests I saw for information, I decided to take another look at the idea of gardening (on purpose) with moss.
Since I can't write from personal experience, let me share the instructions that George Schenk (author of Moss Gardening Including Lichens, Liverworts, and Other Miniatures) gives for growing mosses. If you have grown these in your garden on purpose, please share in the discussion area below. Schenk presents five distinct methods of starting your moss garden.
Method 1: Prepare your moss garden bed by raking the soil smooth, removing all weeds or other plants. Then put into place any garden ornaments such as old logs or pieces of rocks that you want to use. He suggests dusting the soil surface with sulfur, skim milk powder, aluminum sulfate or even acidic fertilizer such as that used for rhododendrons to help increase its acidity (generally mosses grown in acid conditions). Then you do what is so difficult for most dedicated gardeners - you wait for Mother nature to send some moss spores your way The moss may take years to form a nice carpeting but has the advantage of being the right species for the soil and amount of sunlight in your garden.
Method 2: If an area of your lawn is too shady for good grass growth, it is quite likely that moss will take over. You can encourage this by taking out any remaining grass and keeping debris such as tree leaves off the area you want covered with moss. Occasionally, Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus, a moss of sunny places, will take over a section of lawn. Avoid fertilizing this portion of your lawn with lime and you should have a moss carpet in a few years.
Method 3: Find moss growing in the woods and transplant it to your garden. If you do this, be sure the moss can be taken legally. Also, be sure to match soil type and light conditions. You can plant a variety of moss species close together to get a "completed" look very quickly. Over the years, you may find some more aggressive species encroaching on slower growing species. You may need to remove small amounts or just let nature take its coarse.
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