Buying and planting moss to make a moss "japanese" garden

mikelata

Hi all

I am growing a Japanese garden and I have a shady area in the garden, which would be perfect for this

I have just found out a place that sells natural moss:
https://www.johnstowngardencentre.ie/p/fresh-moss-for-hanging-baskets/fresh_moss_box

Would it be easy to buy it and establish it in the garden?
Would the moss propagate easily? Maybe by dividing it into small pieces?

Not sure if this makes any sense but we put new soil in that part of the garden, and I can see a small green layer starting to grow. So, maybe that means that moss would grow well on its own in there?

Thank

mikelata

They don't sell it anymore

If anyone knows of a place, please let me know

Cheers

rolion

Hello,

I have a "japanese type / chinese type / oriental type" front garden made with small trees and with rocks/stones.
Why do you try to make it with moss,what kin dof design you have in mind !?

Good luck.

mikelata

rolion wrote: »

Hello,

I have a "japanese type / chinese type / oriental type" front garden made with small trees and with rocks/stones.
Why do you try to make it with moss,what kin dof design you have in mind !?

Good luck.

Hi rolion,

I have already made the Japanese "type"garden and I am very happy about it. The back of the garden i shady and north facing and I have added some ferns and bambool plants. I'd love to cover the soil with moss

Any chance of some pictures of your garden?

jomalone14

I was out in Powerscourt Garden Centre today and they had 4 small pots of moss on display if that's any use OP?

GrumpyMe

mikelata wrote: »

Hi all

I am growing a Japanese garden and I have a shady area in the garden, which would be perfect for this

I have just found out a place that sells natural moss:
https://www.johnstowngardencentre.ie/p/fresh-moss-for-hanging-baskets/fresh_moss_box

Would it be easy to buy it and establish it in the garden?
Would the moss propagate easily? Maybe by dividing it into small pieces?

Not sure if this makes any sense but we put new soil in that part of the garden, and I can see a small green layer starting to grow. So, maybe that means that moss would grow well on its own in there?

Thank

Most gardens are trying to get rid of their moss - DIY stores minting it with moss killer products at the moment...


Never tried to encourage it myself but hava a look here https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/foliage/moss/growing-moss-gardens.htm


HTH

mikelata

GrumpyMe wrote: »

Most gardens are trying to get rid of their moss - DIY stores minting it with moss killer products at the moment...


Never tried to encourage it myself but have a look here https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/foliage/moss/growing-moss-gardens.htm


HTH

I have been tempted to grow a moss garden from scratch for a while. Now that I have not been able to buy moss commercially, this might be the right moment to give it a go...

I have seen moss patches in shady areas in industrial estates...I might start from there :-)

Harry Palmr

Can I just give you my side lawn? It's about 70% moss due to living in shadow.

recedite

jomalone14 wrote: »

I was out in Powerscourt Garden Centre today and they had 4 small pots of moss on display if that's any use OP?

Probably some old plants that died, and the pots never got cleared away


OP just go out into some damp woods, or look on a wall near a broken drainpipe and get some moss.

huiwe878778

The forest is the best place to find moss!

jomalone14

recedite wrote: »

Probably some old plants that died, and the pots never got cleared away


They weren't actually, they were as I said, moss for sale in pots

recedite

jomalone14 wrote: »

They weren't actually, they were as I said, moss for sale in pots

For how much? (go on, give us a laugh)

Deer

After seeing this topic I am really tempted to give this a bash. Very bad clay soil and have been told only option for decent lawn is artificial grass. I'm not too fond of artificial grass and certainly not fond enough to spend the 7.5k they said it will cost to put it in. Just reading into it though one article mentions it needs to be watered at least once a day to be nice and green which is a bit much really. And I dont know if it would fit in if successful with raised beds I am going to have to do with Roses and other English garden type plants. (I've tried normal borders but plants are just about surviving but not thriving). Apparently it doesn't seem to mind clay. I think I might do a test patch over the next few months just to see how it looks. I could be barking up the wrong tree but that's the fun of gardening sometimes- experimenting

mikelata

I have finally started planting moss into the garden... well, transplanting it...

I don't feel comfortable taking moss from the forests. So, I went to industrial estates to scrap some moss from ugly north-looking concrete walls... This was probably the worst week in the year to do that, as it did not rain and my garden soil was very dry for the moss to stick into it...

Anyway, let' see what happens :-)

I attach a pic of how it is looking right now...


Thanks to you all for your help with comments and suggestions guys!

New Home

Sorry Mikelata, but that image is the size of an icon. Any chance of a bigger photo, please?

mikelata

you are right. I will edit it now

Cheers

recedite

I'd suggest keep it well watered and damp. Even if those lumps die off, just leave them there because the spores might come off them, and new moss might spring up around them.
Good luck!

mikelata

Hi all

The moss is getting stablished very well after all but I have a new concern...

Livewort is spreading like crazy. It probably came with the moss I transplanted to the garden.

I guess if I treat it, it will kill the moss too? So, manual removal is the only option?

Thanks

http://www.downgardenservices.org.uk/liverwort.htm

recedite

Any chemical that kills liverwort would also kill moss.
Could you not grow to love liverwort?
I mean, if you like moss, then surely its just a small leap...

mikelata

recedite wrote: »

Any chemical that kills liverwort would also kill moss.
Could you not grow to love liverwort?
I mean, if you like moss, then surely its just a small leap...

Good point.
Interestingly, I really loved it when I saw it initially. In fact, I still do like it. The issue is that the moss spreads very slowly and liverwort appears to be spreading really fast

So, my fear is ending up with a liverwort garden with a bit of moss, as opposed to a moss garden with a bit of liverwort

recedite

Fair enough, that's what all gardening is about really. Trying to encourage the plants you like, and trying to get rid of the ones you don't.
A weed is just a plant growing in the wrong place.