Moss Garden | Advice and Recipe to Age Pots

Lush, woodsy, musky, earthy green moss. It’s hard to believe that some folks actually try to rid nature’s living carpet from around their homes and gardens. Being a moss lover, I do the exact opposite. I incorporate moss gardens throughout my yard and add it to gardening projects.

Moss plants require nothing more than shade, acidic soil, and adequate moisture to flourish. The moss anatomy differs from most plants as mosses have “stems” and “leaves” but no flowers, seeds or roots to supply nourishment to the plant. Moss spores grow tiny brown filaments called rhizoids that then anchor to fallen logs, rocks or the forest floor. After anchoring, rainwater fortified by nutrients washed from forest trees feeds the plant. Often times the moisture and nutrients from the rain water run off become stored in rotting fallen trees that mosses tend to blanket. These “blankets” of moss can be easily removed in sheets. Because active rhizoids are still present on the fallen log, more moss will soon grow and replenish the area. Readily available and renewable, mosses have a multitude of uses. I line garden baskets with moss, use it as a soil cover and to support delicate stems in potted plants (not to mention the added charm it gives most all potted plant arrangements) I even cultivate moss in my rock walls and create moss gardens surrounding the rocks around my water garden. One of my favorite way to use moss is to age pots and other garden ornaments a simple recipe for moss propagation (See below). Mosses are particularly plentiful in New England. Even though there is an abundance of it, I practice and encourage “thoughtful gathering” of moss, and any other planting for that matter. “Thoughtful” or “Respectful” gathering is simply taking only what one needs at the time, and waiting for more to grow to replace what was taken, before removing any more moss from that area. Most landscapes have at least a few species of common mosses growing freely that would work well in a moss garden. A rule of thumb is “If it’s shady and damp-there will be moss.” If for some reason this is not the case at your home, it is essential to always obtain permission before removing mosses from sources other than your own; particularly in New England where nature trails and wildlife refuges are abundant. Recipe to Age Pots and Terra Cotta Planters

• One cup of moss, free of dirt and broken into small pieces
• One cup of butter milk
• ¼ cup of beer
• One cup of plain yogurt

Pulverize this mixture until it is of soupy consistency. An old blender no longer used for food is the easiest way. Brush the mixture lightly on areas of the ornaments you intend to age. Place outside (Spring and Summer only) in a shady, moist area. Allow rain fall and natural outdoor elements to take over. Check in two weeks. Tiny green areas will be present. For more aging, simply leave the pots in the same damp area for a longer period of time.