Subject: Re: MOSS, Anyone?

From: [email-masked] (Sherry Bailey)
Date: 2 Mar 1995 00:46:28 GMT

I have seen moss catalogs -- want to pay $25 a square foot!?  That's the price
I saw.  I don't care how interesting the moss is, I collect mine from the lawn
or other places it doesn't need to be!

(I don't have the catalogs, but you can find the lists I did here and there,
especially in recent shade gardening books and articles.)

Sherry

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From: [email-masked] (Sherry Bailey)
Date: 2 Mar 1995 22:34:24 GMT

: My husband and I just moved into a new (to us) house with a beautiful
: carpet of moss in one shady moist part of the back yard.  He walked back
: there, found it soggy, and suggested we make a Japanese garden there,
: meaning replace the moss with stones.  I was aghast at the thought of
: ripping out the moss and told him how wonderful I found it and that when
: the soil dries out some it won't be so muddy there (I hope).  And that I
: would consider putting in a path through it to get to the garden shed.
: Then today I saw this post and told him about the $25 per square foot
: value of the moss.  Hopefully he will view it with new respect!  I guess I
: should be encouraged by his suggestions in that this is the first time he
: has taken any interest in the garden at all. 

Oh HONEY!!! Go borrow or buy a nice book with color pictures of REAL Japanese
Gardens, if possible including the Kyoto Temple Garden!!! That's what people
buy moss FOR!  You almost HAVE a Japanese garden!! (I think it's hilarious he
wanted to remove the moss to MAKE one!) (I have about six such books and I
drool over them regularly!)  Combine with nicely placed rock and remove weeds,
sweep the moss periodically with a broom (not so hard you rip it up, but to
remove the debris on top and help it to spread) and add a few strategically
placed plants...  Zen dry stone gardens are meditation gardens where the stone
and raked gravel (which is much more work than growing moss where it wants to
grow) represent flowing water, are VERY carefully designed and not too
successful if not done by someone who knows what is supposed to be happening. 
I think you are lucky!  I have about 30 square feet or so of moss slowly
transplanted over four years from other spots on the property, and *I* thought
I was doing well (for a stingey tightwad unwilling to buy the stuff!)  You can
grow it, but I haven't successfully done so.

Sherry

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From: [email-masked] (CLNichols)
Date: 2 Mar 1995 15:28:24 -0500

Sherry wrote:

"I have seen moss catalogs -- want to pay $25 a square foot!?  That's the
price
I saw.  I don't care how interesting the moss is, I collect mine from the
lawn
or other places it doesn't need to be!

(I don't have the catalogs, but you can find the lists I did here and
there,
especially in recent shade gardening books and articles.)"

Reply:

My husband and I just moved into a new (to us) house with a beautiful
carpet of moss in one shady moist part of the back yard.  He walked back
there, found it soggy, and suggested we make a Japanese garden there,
meaning replace the moss with stones.  I was aghast at the thought of
ripping out the moss and told him how wonderful I found it and that when
the soil dries out some it won't be so muddy there (I hope).  And that I
would consider putting in a path through it to get to the garden shed.
Then today I saw this post and told him about the $25 per square foot
value of the moss.  Hopefully he will view it with new respect!  I guess I
should be encouraged by his suggestions in that this is the first time he
has taken any interest in the garden at all.

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From: [email-masked] (Jeanne Hinds)
Date: 3 Mar 1995 18:10:31 GMT

> has taken any interest in the garden at all. 

Grow your own moss by pulling up some moss and putting it in the
blender with buttermilk.  Puree until smooth and then spray around
where you wish moss to grow.  Works great!

+-----------------------------------------+---------------------------+
| Jeanne Hinds                            | Creativity is the art of  |
| [email-masked]           | concealing one's sources. |
+-----------------------------------------+---------------------------+

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From: [email-masked] (CLNichols)
Date: 2 Mar 1995 15:28:24 -0500

Sherry wrote:

Reply:

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From: [email-masked] (Jeanne Hinds)
Date: 3 Mar 1995 18:10:31 GMT