How to Use Mosses in Landscaping

Where To Get Moss For Your Shade Garden

You can transplant moss and other plants growing on other parts of your property to new areas. If you have friends or family growing in their yards, ask them if you can have some of it to transplant on your property. You can also find mosses at your local landscaping or plant nursery store. Always keep mosses moist until transplanting to the desired area.

Basic Growing Tips For Mosses

Mosses need just a few essential elements to thrive. They need shade, which holds moisture more consistently than areas exposed to the sun. They like acidic soil, with a pH of around 5.5.

  • Remove weeds and grass from an area in a location that has shade for most of the day.
  • Prepare the ground area with a rake to create a bed on which the plant can grow.
  • Layout a piece of moss on the prepared area and gently tamp down. You may want to ensure the plants don't get displaced by placing a few rocks on them to secure them solidly.
  • Water the newly set most generously.
  • Fertilize with a fertilizer formulated for acid-loving plants.
  • Keep the plants consistently moistened until they are established.
  • Pull weeds and grass out of bed to prevent plants from being choked.

Growing Moss on Rock Walls, Bricks, or Clay Pots

The spread of moss along a wall or other garden object adds a picturesque quality to landscaping. If you want to grow mosses on these objects:

  1. Mix up a batch of 2 cups of buttermilk and about 1-1/2 cups of chopped moss.
  2. Blend thoroughly.
  3. Spread the buttermilk-plant mixture onto the object where you'd like the plants to grow.
  4. Keep the mixture moist for several weeks while it becomes established.
Choosing Mosses For Shade Gardens

Some mosses grow horizontally. Others grow vertically. Your choice depends on how you want to use it in your landscape design.

  • Fern moss, Thuidium delicatulum, is a fast-growing variety with a defined "fern leaf" shape used to cover rocks and walls.
  • American Tree Moss, Climacium americanum, spreads along the ground through rhizomes. It gets its name from resembling tiny clumps of trees. It can be used in semi-shaded areas and areas that experience occasional standing rainwater.
  • Mood moss, Dicranum scoparium, grows in thick clumps of vibrant green color. You can use it for rock gardens, floral arrangements, and terrariums. It gets its name from changes in its appearance when growing conditions are not ideal. It is one of the slower-growing types.
  • Shiny Seductive Moss, the Entodon seductress, is a short, fast-growing moss that spreads close to the ground. Unlike many mosses, they can be grown in entire sun areas. It can be used as ground cover for rock walls or green roofs.
Explore Mosses To Add Maturity and Serenity to Your Yard

If you have not grown mosses before, you will find them both easy and fun to establish in garden areas. 

Broom Forkmoss - TN Nursery

Broom Forkmoss

Broom Forkmoss is a hardy, commonly used moss species with slender, upright shoots and distinctive forked or feather-like branches. It is often found in various terrestrial habitats. It is perfect for stale areas and works to clean up stagnant water. Moss is a bioindicator plant that is super beneficial for cleaning near moisture.   Adding Broom Forkmoss to your property can provide various benefits now and well into the future. This spongy material spreads quickly along the ground, providing a lush landscape that holds up well in many different environments. Broom Forkmoss Looks Like Messy Hair This type looks like your hair after standing outside for too long on a windy day. Of course, unlike your hair, you won't have a tangled mess to get rid of after the weather calms down. This is because it only grows to be a few centimeters high. It typically has a green hue and can be used across your entire yard or in localized areas as you see fit. Broom Forkmoss Acts as a Purifier One of the primary benefits of having this plant on your property is that it can remove toxins from the air. This can be especially ideal if you are allergic to smoke, pollen, or other irritants you may be exposed to outdoors. In addition, removing pollutants can make the air smell cleaner and fresher, benefiting everyone who lives on your property or nearby. Another great reason to have Broom Forkmoss on your property is that you won't need to spend money on air filters. You also won't need to waste electricity on indoor or outdoor air purifying systems that may or may not get the results that you want. Even better, since it doesn't grow upwards, you won't need to mow it often or ever. This further minimizes oil or electricity usage associated with a lawn mower or other landscaping equipment. Broom Forkmoss Reduces Noise  In addition to removing toxins from the air, it can also help reduce noise. This can be ideal if you have a baby in the house who needs to sleep or wants to hear yourself think after a long day at work.

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Fern Moss - TN Nursery

Fern Moss

Fern Moss displays feathery, fern-like fronds and is often found in damp and shady environments. It resembles miniature forest ferns. This delightful and beneficial plant for landscaping projects belongs to the Bryophyte family and thrives in wet and shady environments, making it a perfect choice for various landscaping applications. It is known for its delicate appearance. These plants are widely distributed throughout North America and often add color and beauty to shady, humid gardens. Natural Habitat Of Fern Moss It forms lush, branching carpets on decomposing logs, rocks, and patches of damp soil. They can flourish in various moist, shady environments all year round. They are commonly found along mountain streams and river banks, on hillsides and ravines, underneath trees, and on forest floors. It has feathery triangular fronds arranged in a triple-pinnate structure, with central stems that grow up to 3½" long. The fronds consist of tiny, bumpy leaves that give the fern moss a slightly rough appearance and branch out to create a layered mat with a soft, plush texture. The fronds intertwine to create a colony with a three-dimensional profile. The leaves tend to open in humid air, but they contract against their parent stem or branch in dry air. It can display a spectrum of colors, changing from golden brown to dull yellow-green to bright, then deep green shade and moisture increase. To propagate themselves, they create sporophytes that mature and release spores that can grow into new plants. As they establish themselves, they grow fibrous rhizoids that attach to their new substrates. These thin, root-like rhizoids anchor the plants and pull nutrients and moisture into the fronds. Fern Moss Adds Graceful Charm It can create a tranquil aesthetic and lend a graceful charm to cultivated areas in your landscape. Gardeners often use it as a ground cover in tree-filled areas. This plant can add color and texture to rock gardens and shady regions while providing winter greenery patches. It is a beautiful choice if you're looking to create a microhabitat for small animals in your garden. Songbirds like swallows, vireos, juncos, robins, and warblers use the fronds in their nests to protect their hatchlings and conceal them from predators. Forest Up Your Garden with Fern Moss Adding Fern Moss to your garden is a lovely way to bring the freshness of the forest into your landscape and enhance your time outdoors.

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Thuidium Moss - TN Nursery

Thuidium Moss

Thuidium moss is a thick, tufted moss with densely branched, feathery shoots commonly found in moist woodlands and forested areas. It is recognized for its vibrant green hues and intricate texture and is a versatile and appealing element in landscaping. Its utilization extends beyond its aesthetic appeal, as it brings numerous benefits to outdoor spaces. When incorporated thoughtfully, it can transform gardens, pathways, and various outdoor environments into captivating and harmonious settings. Thuidium Moss is a genus of more than 200 species that share similarities worldwide. The "-idium" part means "diminutive" in Latin, and examples of this plant resemble diminutive cedar trees. The plant grows to a height between 1 and 8 inches and will do equally well on the ground or epiphytically. The Fonds Of Thuidium Moss The plant contributes its cuteness to the rest of the garden. It acts not as a focal point but as a garnish, the delicate fronds interlacing to form a stunning layer of compounded leaves. The plant forms its dense carpet by producing attractive leaves on multiple pinnates that intertwine and form a layer that can be several inches thick. Each of these pinnates is covered in delightful, tiny leaves that are millimeters or less in size, a Lilliputian collection of smile-inducing green. The Kit Fern variety of this charming plant has sharply curved leaves and adds washes of yellow throughout the carpet, further pleasing the eye. Decorative Options With Thuidium Moss Because the plant forms a carpet, one might create beautiful patterns. Chessboards and spirals are two gorgeous options, but in truth, the possibilities are limited only by the gardener's imagination. The plant is also epiphytic, which looks smashing when adorning other larger plants. It's also nifty as a covering for paths throughout extensive woodland gardens. Because it's evergreen, it'll provide its lovely green color throughout the winter. The Ecological Impact Of Thuidium Moss This plant is essential for the environment, retaining moisture in the soil and preventing erosion. Many species of birds, notably robins, flycatchers, and juncos, use it to make their nests. So, the plant increases the colors of any garden through the plumage of the avian wildlife it supports. As it grows and forms its carpet, it'll even help to rejuvenate the garden's soil, making it not only soft and attractive but also immensely useful. Thuidium Moss looks fantastic throughout the year, contributes to the health of any garden, and provides material for nesting birds to build their nests. It's got leaves that are marvelously soft and delicate. Finally, it is symbiotic with other garden plants, contributing to the garden's overall beauty.

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Reindeer Moss - TN Nursery

Reindeer Moss

Reindeer Moss is a grayish-white lichen often found in arctic and subarctic regions. It provides essential forage for reindeer and caribou. Reindeer moss is a unique and versatile organism that offers several benefits when utilized in landscaping projects. Its distinctive appearance and hardy nature make it a popular choice for enhancing outdoor spaces in creative and sustainable ways. The Beauty of Reindeer Moss Reindeer Moss is a hearty organism known for its unusual color and elegant appearance. Known for its unique shape, this light-colored fruticose organism grows on forest floors and rocky landscapes in subarctic and arctic regions. Despite the name, this organism is not a plant—Lichen forms from the symbiotic relationship between algae and fungi. Gardeners can bring a touch of this lichen's magic to their gardens and landscaping. It gets its name from its unique shape. The lichen's shape resembles a reindeer's antlers. This organism consists of a base known as a squamule. Squamules are scaly green structures that spread along the ground. They are soft to the touch. On the tips of the lichen's branching stems, brown knobs produce spores. As the lichen grows, it forms soft, tight clusters. It can grow up to three inches high. Colors of Reindeer Moss Gardeners can find this lichen in a variety of shades. Bright gray varieties are reminiscent of this beautiful lichen's arctic origin. Other available colors include white, cream, yellow-gray, and yellow-green. Adding Reindeer Moss to Your Landscaping It can add depth to any landscaping project. The lichen creates a variety of stunning colors and textures. When it is wet, it feels soft and spongy. The green base appears bold and vibrant. As the lichen dries, the texture changes to brittle and scaly. Reindeer Moss's distinctive form and texture add graphic interest to indoor and outdoor spaces. The lichen can make urban projects like green roofs and living walls more visually appealing. Rock gardens can benefit from the lichen's soft and spongy texture. This organism contrasts with rock and gravel hardscaping. This element of softness complements the peaceful environment of Zen gardens and meditation spaces. It can add interest to indoor spaces. The lichen's compact size makes it appropriate for small indoor projects like terrariums. It is a stunning addition to any space, from ground cover to gardens. This unique organism gives indoor and outdoor environments an element of texture and color.

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