by Kathleen Couch

Created on: August 02, 2010   Last Updated: August 09, 2011

When I think of moss, I envision sedate scenes in the English countryside, where time has passed by and the moss has grown over the years.  It is tumbling between stepping stones and on rock walls.  A feeling of peace and vision of etheral beauty has been created.  You can create this same scene by growing moss in your garden.

Certain types of moss are native to your area.  Moss needs moisture, a little soil, rock, rotting wood, or other hardscape material such as terra cotta, cement, or brick, and also shade.  Thus the areas you will find moss growing naturally, are shady areas.  Remember the hiking hint that “moss grows on the North side of the tree”.

To get moss to grow, you should use moss that is native to the area.  Many times moss can be obtained on your property already.  You may want to increase the amount that is growing, or get some started in another shady area.  Moss can also be used to give an aged appearance to terra cotta or cement type planters.  Using moss between paver stones for a patio gives an established look. There may be some areas in your lawn that the grass does not grow because of the amount of shade it receives.  Moss can be a pleasant alternative.  Moss gives an appealing soft padded look, and stays green throughout the year.

When starting moss in a new area, or starting a moss garden, do not plant other flowers or foliage that will compete with the moss.  Later, after the moss is established, a few other shade loving plants could be planted, but spaced out randomly.

One way you can get moss to start growing in another area is to take some from where it is growing, and pat it into the moist soil where you want it to grow.  Then use a hand spray bottle, and spray several times a day for at least two weeks.  After that just don’t let it dry out.  This will work but you will not see much spreading or additional growth for about a year.  If you do not have naturally growing moss available, it can be purchased at local plant nurseries.  They will have different varieties of moss in the ground cover section.  However, if it is not native to the area, it is harder to get it to keep living and multiply.

If you want to grow moss faster, there are several recipes that can be used.

Recipe from:  The Artistic Garden

Repeat these steps for each of the liquid ingredients listed:

1.  Gather a clump of moss (remove

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