Why moss?

Apr 13, 2024
5 min read

Moss is one of those things that you never think about, or always think about.

Most folks don't notice moss at all unless it's growing somewhere they don't want it. But moss lovers can spot those bright green patches anywhere.

I was initially drawn to moss because it's prolific in the mountains of eastern Pennsylvania where I live. In late winter--when everything else in the woods is gray and brown and drab--moss is the only thing still displaying a magnificent, cheerful green. It can be buried under feet of snow for months and emerge beneath the melt just as vibrant as in summer.

I also noticed moss is one of the VERY few things deer don't eat, which is part of why it thrives in this region despite heavy deer pressure on plants.

One day I picked up a clump of moss that had somehow wound up in my driveway, and just that one touch had me hooked. I was in love. Moss manages to feel both substantial and light while in the palm of your hand. It's springy and pliable, and not too fragile. Some thicker varieties of moss are so solid that when you run your hands over them, they feel like petting a cat or a dog. Petting moss is immensely satisfying and soothing.

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Best of all, moss holds a unique, earthy scent that I've yet to find words to describe. Whenever I smell it, the scent transports me to an ancient forest in late spring when everything's in bloom. After my first experience with moss, I began to learn everything I could about it, and was shocked to discover there wasn't much info out there. Most of what I learned came from just a handful of books and websites, which I'll share in a separate post. I realized that working with moss was something I would mostly figure out through trial-and-error, and doing so has been such a joyful, playful experience over the last few years.

Initially I wanted to preserve it and make moss art and moss walls, which are just stunningly gorgeous to me. So, I started picking up moss from around our yard and placing it on the deck so I could create with it later. I hadn't yet learned how to preserve moss, so I didn't want to bring it inside and accidentally kill it before it could be preserved.

I found that working with preserved moss wasn't nearly as thrilling as the live thing. It's like fake plastic flowers versus real flowers: some faux flowers are very pretty, but there's no life force there.

And no matter what I did, much of the moss turned brown once preserved. Moss preservation is not an easy process, in my experience. Maintaining the vibrant greeen color was going to require dye--more artificial stuff, just to get the moss back to looking like it did to begin with.

Every time I killed some moss in order to create a piece of indoor art, I felt like I was betraying my sweet little mossy friends. Moss is incredibly slow-growing, and I was destroying life that had spent years or even decades thriving on my land...all so I could put it in a frame and look at it inside my house instead of looking at it through the window. My eyes scanned around all that moss on my deck that was waiting to be presevered, and I made the decision to gather it up and try making outdoor art in the yard using the live moss instead.

Even though I do still work with preserved moss sometimes for special projects, I no longer preserve it myself, and work with companies that source and treat their moss in an eco-friendly way. Working with live moss outdoors in its natural environment just feels right to me, and it's my favorite way to utilize moss, because the moss is so clearly thriving in its environment.

Because moss has no root system, you can just pick up a clump and put it where you want it: no digging, and not necessarily with any trauma to the plant. (You do need to understand the conditions that moss needs to survive, but I'm working with native mosses in their natural habitat. In this circumstance, it's pretty impossible to make moss unhappy, unless the new spot doesn't allow it to get air because it's covered in leaves, or it's getting a lot of direct sunlight, or isn't getting rained on. Moss wants to be in a wet, humid environment with as much moisture as possible.) When I was little, I loved playing with colorforms--those little re-usable plastic stickers that you could move around to create endless designs. I work with moss now in the same way: place it here, try it there, add some there, remove it there.

Because this moss art is outdoors, it's constantly changing with the wildlife. Birds often pull up my moss to line their nests. Squirrels bury their acorns underneath it, then dig it out to have their meal months later. The deer and wild turkeys and bear scuff it up, too. Additionally, moss thrives in dappled sunlight in a forest-like setting, which means that the trees above are constantly dropping leaves, branches, and other debris on the moss which must be cleared off periodically (assuming you want to see your moss unobscured.) So, I make the rounds to different areas of my yard once a month or so to remove debris and replace any pieces that have been moved. This requires getting down on my hands and knees, and picking out rocks, twigs, acorn shells, etc. by hand. In Japan where moss gardens have been revered for over a 1,000 years, this work is considered sacred and a meditative practice. It's a reminder that nothing is permanent, and that there are forces beyond us which we must surrender to rather than try to control.

This approach resonates with me so much more than trying to have a perfectly manicured lawn, and it's the mindset I take when maintaining my moss. Moss is one of the most ancient plants on earth, and getting to care for it is an honor and a joy.

My husband and I have nearly an acre of land at our house, and almost the entire thing is moss gardens and moss lawns now. I take great pride in maintaining it, and also take pride in the fact that I use no pesticides, and do not have to mow or trim at all.

We do live in an HOA community with design guidelines, but our community encourages us to keep the natural forested condition. And, because moss grows low to the ground, it doesn't look unkempt.