Garden Reports and Rejoicing – March 27
One of the subjects I address in my most popular garden club talk is moss growth. The myth is that moss in your lawn means that you need to add lime. The truth is that moss is an equal opportunity lawn-colonizer…it’s happy to grow on acidic or alkaline soils. Give moss moisture, compact soil or shade and it will make itself at home.
The point I ultimately come to in this presentation is that it might be pure folly in shady areas to try and grow turf at all. In such locations moss is the better plant for the job! Not only does it thrive in those conditions, but you don’t have to mow or fertilize and it’s green twelve months a year.
Sometimes people need help in recognizing the truth: moss rocks.
It’s no wonder that the folks at Moss and Stone Gardens came to the same conclusion and created Moss Rocks to showcase this plant. After having owner David Spain on GardenLine, he sent me one as a thank you and I have to say that this little planter draws more comments than any other houseplant I have. People sit at my kitchen table and pet it.
Every time I look at my Moss Rock it makes me smile, but more importantly it’s a visual reminder of something significant. The average American homeowner has been taught to hate moss, not because it’s any trouble at all, or even because unattractive. No, moss is easy and beautiful. But it’s the American way to create problem and then sell people a product that solves the difficulty that you’ve just invented.
My Moss Rock reminds me not to get suckered into seeing problems where they don’t exist.
Once or twice a week I take this little guy to the sink and give it some water. Otherwise it thrives without care in the middle of my bright kitchen.
