Ah, sagina subulata! How I love moss! Nothing feels better on the palm of the hand or sole of the foot than cool moss on a hot day.
My favorite thing to do with moss is plant it in mounds in interesting containers, the larger the better. Got a cracked fountain base or birdath? Don't toss it! Nothing is prettier than filling it with a soft mound of deep green or chartreuse moss.
Photo courtesy of Chadschuler on Flickr
Simple stone or concrete pots filled with moss are also an enchanting accent to an Asian style garden.
Photo courtesy of lara68 on Flickr
INGREDIENTS
One slightly shady (morning sun is ok) spot in your garden or patio.
One shallow, wide container with drainage (its easy to drill a hole in a birdbath or fountain base)
One flat of Scotch or Irish moss
Three or four small aeonium or echeveria (2-3 inch container size)
(As you can see, the texture contrast between moss and succulents is fantastic!)
Photo courtesy of Jason Abbott, all rights reserved.
One large bag of potting soil
One handful of balanced time release fertilizer (Multicote is good.)
DIRECTIONS
Fill the container with the potting soil. Mix in the fertilizer.
Mound the potting soil so that its crest is four inches above the base of the container. Pat down soil firmly.
Cut squares of the moss from the flat and press into the mound of soil until the entire mound is covered, except for a circle at the top of the mound.
Plant the little succulents in the circle on top.
Mist or lightly sprinkle the mound until it is wet through. Regular misting is best although you can get away with just watering it a few times a week if its in shade during the hot periods of the day.
For those of you who can't resist accessorizing your planters, ceramic mushrooms are particularly cute in moss. Maybe a tiny fairy. But please, no gnomes.
