Tired of the rocky edges of the traditional garden pond? Soften the look of the pond and add a simple but extraordinarily beautiful plant to a gathering of rushes, ferns, or bamboo at the side of a water feature.
Mosses Are Diverse Landscaping Plants
Mosses grow from spores like ferns. They are ancient and durable plants. They develop tiny root-like structures that push into the ground, then they develop little flat leaves. The mosses are a surprisingly diverse group of landscaping plants. While many think of moss as a flat carpet, there are also hanging mosses, step mosses, and many other diverse structures: an entire miniature world of little leaves to grace the sides of the pond. A soft, green carpet of moss is a perfect complement to other plants like maidenhair fern (Adiantum spp.) or bamboo.
An Excellent Plant for Poor Soil
Moss is a wonderful plant for the tops of rocks or other locations around the pond that have poor or little soil. It needs moisture, but it gets nutrients from the air. This makes it a perfect choice for rock gardens or the damp sides of water features.
Moss Provides a Groundcover for Wet Locations
A pond in a wet climate can become quite damp around the edges, especially if it is surrounded by rocks. Instead of growing slick algae by chance, grow moss by choice, integrating this water-lover into the garden design. While mosses will colonize a rocky surface, moss is a slow-growing plant, so consider buying some to get started.
Choose Shady Areas When Placing Moss
While mosses can be tough, they prefer medium to deep shade for optimum growth. A pond that is in a shady part of the garden beside trees or shrubs is a good place to plant moss. Watch the garden at different parts of the day to determine what areas get good shade. Consider how sunny the area might be at different points in the year.
Moss is Ideal for Summer Droughts
Strangely enough, moss is also an ideal plant for summer drought conditions around the pond. When moss becomes dry, it simply goes dormant. At the first rain or heavy dew, it perks up again. Yes, a prolonged drought or a sunny location is not good for moss, but a short dry spell followed by a rain is perfectly tolerable for moss. Mosses should be kept moist for several weeks after transplanting.
How to Propagate Moss
Moss is a simple plant that spreads by spores. These spores are tiny, so propagating moss is different from collecting seeds to save. Keen to spread moss around the edges of the pond? The best time of year to plant moss is in the spring or fall, when the moss will receive regular water. Take a handful of healthy moss and an old blender. Some add buttermilk, yogurt, or clay as a thickener. Add water and paint the mixture onto rocks and water features. In five weeks, the moss should begin to grow. Sometimes new mosses look like algae, so wait a while to see if they are actually baby moss.
Moss is a subtle, beautiful plant to adorn water features and the edges of the pond. A combination of moss and ferns growing on the edges of a water garden softens the look of the pond. Make sure that the moss thrives by choosing a shady, moist location for it to grow.
