A Moss Garden

IN 1998 one of the things that I wanted to build was an Infinity Gate, and my unartistic, unhandy hubby volunteered to build one for me...BUT of course with my artistic design and wifely instructions...yikes *!*

At this time my friend at the barn where I kept my horses was tearing down a 100 year old stable/barn and burning the lumber...when I saw all that beautiful barn wood being burnt I was sad. So the next best thing for me to do, was drag out beams that were not on fire and bring them home to make my project, an Infinity Gate...

I used three beams to make the gate, oops, I mean my husband used the beams to make the gate. I took two of my three-fold rod iron screens, inserting them into the frame...leaving the 100 year old square head nails in the beams for character. Topping off the top with leftover lumber and fence post tops that someone threw away.

OUR backyard lawn started out as a grass garden, and every weekend my husband mowed the lawns. Once all the trees after the 2002 storm started to grow tall and fill out, it became a shade garden, consequently a moss garden.

I really like the way it looks and feels, especially walking on it barefooted. A few years back the Cable company was digging new lines in the back part of the yard, and I heard one of the guys tell another, this is like a carpet! Our property backs up to a Greenbelt or wildlife reserve, it's all woods. We have many wildlife animals that come through, so it's kind of hard to grow anything decent in the flower department...and I'm way too lazy to spray and or plant anti-animal stuff...So the best next thing was planting wild woodsy plants.

PLANTING many shoots from my neighbors snowball bush, ferns and violets from the woods made it come together, and all I needed was a couple of years to fill it in, except where the deer trimmed the the snowball bushes yearly.

Next came the rocks...my hubby and I went out in the cornfields and did a farmer a favor by removing large rocks, these were placed in various areas in the yard with borders around trees connecting the trees.

My roadside plant collection over the years from different states were also planted. Some are over 35 years old and doing fine...I always take at least one plant along in a move, just for sentimental reasons.

MY friend that owns the ranch also owns the wooded land where I would get my wildflowers.

This is also where we used to ride our horses on the trails. Riding through the woods over time I made mental notes of the plants during the seasons, helping me decide which ones I wanted to replant in my yard. This way I was giving my yard a more wild look with the wild flowers, ferns and such.

Here are some suggestions you can use on growing a moss garden...

*Mix moss with yogurt or buttermilk in a blender and brush it on to create a quick growth of moss

another Recipe for "moss juice"

*Ingredients:
- 5-lb. block of potter's clay
- jar of fish emulsion fertilizer
- moss

Cut potter's clay into cubes and soak in water until it becomes 'slip,' or liquid clay.
Combine 3 parts clay solution, 1 part liquid fish emulsion, and 1 part moss in a blender.

Cut potter's clay into cubes and soak in water until it becomes 'slip,' or liquid clay.
Combine 3 parts clay solution, 1 part liquid fish emulsion, and 1 part moss in a blender.
Liquefy.
Paint over all cement objects where a moss-covered surface is desired.
To clean the blender, fill a sink with hot water and detergent. Let the blender soak for two hours, then run it through the dishwasher.

Keep painted concrete pieces in a cool, dark place. Within two months to a year, moss will grow on the objects.

Here are some helpful informative Links:

Walter Reeves

Moss Acers

garden guides

During the Fall of 2002 we had a big storm, taking down many trees and ruining our lawn, it was after this that we started to let the moss grow.

I had my husband cut some of the stumps into sliced pieces to use for a stepping stone like walkway, as seen in an above photo.

WHAT an ironic year 2010 for my Moss Garden...it started out brilliantly with colors and textures....BUT, then I started to notice the water after the rain was puddling like a small pond in our yard. It was very hot this year so when the garden dried up, the moss started to die. I really never thought you could kill moss, especially with water, but as it looks like now, I'm loosing my Moss Garden.

My husband and I think maybe we should plant grass seed next year and leave a design portion of moss...so we will have to see what happens after next Spring.

I feel sad that we might lose this cushy moss garden, but what ever..it will still look nice.

The photos show our August 2010 Storm that took some tree branches and stripped all flower colors. Notice the thousands of berries from some obnoxious and invasive trees

FALL of 2010...The tree colors have turned fast because of the cold nights and hot days, the Hostas and Snowballs plants have been consumed by deer...a wet and hot summer, with Indian summer very warm/hot...not a good Moss Garden year!

WELL, as you can see we had a lot of work ahead of us in Spring...the gate was leaning and I was hoping it stayed up before the torrential rains came...my hubby wanted to get rid of it, but the wood that it's built with is significant for me, 100 year old poles from the barn where I had much joy for over 20 years....

SPRING had been so odd and it reflected in the garden...the Gate came crashing down after a big wind and rain storm. This image shows the utility box that the gate covered, I was in the hopes my hubby will help rebuild the gate, and he did.

I would love for my Moss Garden to look like this...dreamy indeed....walking through the moss in your bare-feet, feeling the softness like a carpet...yes just like a dream!

More of my lenses listed below