Moss Maintenance

Gardening expert Marianne Binetti explains how to maximize and even propagate moss as a decorative garden floor.

• Don't throw moss away. Use pieces of it as decorative accents in your yard or in arrangements.

Figure A

To plant moss, buy a flat of Scotch or Irish moss. Don't plant it all together, though. Cut it into smallish strips with a sharp knife. Rough up the root ball so the roots will really spread out, and plant clumps of it around the area you want covered. In just two months, clumps of moss will grow into a connected carpet of no-maintenance ground cover (figure A). It looks just like a lawn, but needs no mowing.

	Figure B
	Figure C

Use moss to block weed growth between stone pavers in the yard (figure B). Scrape moss off another area in the yard--maybe from some shady concrete where it loves to grow--and put it in a paper bag. Shake the bag well to release the moss spores. Sprinkle the moss chunks over the bare pavers (figure C), and water down thoroughly.

Caution: Moss-covered surfaces and can be slippery when wet.

You can get moss either from a craft store, or you can just pick some off a few trees during a trip to the woods. Store in a sealed plastic bag for up to two months.

Figure D

Use moss as a carpet on top of garden accents. Lay sheets of moss on top of the piece, like a pedestal. To keep the birds from carrying it off for their nests, lay a sheet of chicken wire or netting across the top (figure D). This will also keep the moss in closer contact with the surface of the piece.

Figure E

Use sheet moss for greenery in an arrangement. Layer a table with moss, then arrange stones, candles or flowers on top (figure E).

Resources
Easy Answers for Great Gardens: 500 Tips, Techniques, and Outlandish Ideas
by Marianne Binetti
Sasquatch Books, 2000
Order this title from Amazon.com.

Guests
Marianne Binetti
Gardening Expert / Author
PO Box 872
Enumclaw, WA 98022
Phone: 360-825-6186
E-mail: Info@BinettiGarden.com
Website: www.binettigarden.com
Also in this Episode

Smart Solutions : Episode SSL-801
•	Etch-a-Monogram
•	Moss Maintenance
•	Eliminating Everyday Annoyances
•	Smart Solutions of the Day