Monday 14 February 2011

Moss

Moss is not normally welcomed by gardeners, which is a shame, because it can be very beautiful...

This moss is growing on the weed-suppressing membrane underneath the shingle in my back garden, at the base of  the Bronze Maple tree




Here it is in close-up. You can see that it has some seed-heads.




This moss is at the base of one of my Bay trees. I think it positively glows in the sunlight.




The moss in the previous picture has gone now - I decided to smarten-up the potted Standard Bays, so I have removed the moss and added some gravel to dissuade the moss from re-growing.

So we have gone from this:



Through this:




To this:




Job done!




P.S. While I was in the mood for this sort of thing, I also applied some gravel to my potted Chive plants, which are growing rapidly now...



18 comments:

  1. Mark, I love your bay tree! However, the moss was much prettier than the gravel! Would the moss do harm to the tree? Maybe the moss causes too much moisture? what is the reason to get rid of it?

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  2. Much as it looks nice, in certain situations, I'd love to eradicate it from my lawn!

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  3. Egretta, opinions on the subject of moss vary widely! Some people advised me to leave it; some people advised me to remove it. On balance I reckon moss is probably bad(ish), so I have removed it. I have also given the two Standard Bay trees a good dose of plant food to get them ready forthe new season. I thought the leaves were looking a bit dull and lifeless, when they really ought to be dark green and glossy.

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  4. Oh Mark, I love moss! And English moss is right up there for me, it's so pretty and such a sign of lush growth, you can imagine it's not too common here in Brisbane... I'm sorry, but I am with Egretta, bring back the moss!

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  5. I gotta vote for no moss. I guess Carol Klein and her Glebe Cottage has brainwashed me as she uses alot of gravel, on everything (and no moss in sight).

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  6. Gravel always smartens up pots but I must admit I rather like the Zen look of the moss on top of your bay pot.

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  7. I love the look of moss, and the way it feels when you run your hands over it.. like petting a furry green animal growing in your garden. <has revealed self as lunatic. :)

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  8. I liked the moss...but I've always associated moss with rot and decay...mainly where I'd see it in the woods...was on trees that had died and fallen to the earth...the decaying remains would be covered with mosses of all types! Gravel does keep moisture in the soil beneath it...cuts down on weeds if it's thick enough...and does present I clean appearance...but sadly no moss!

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  9. Though I am engaged in a never-ending battle to keep the lawn moss-free, I also have a secret dream of one day creating a small area with rocks and mosses in a shaded corner of the garden where the low morning sun penetrates through the tree trunks for a couple of hours in summer before the canopies shade the ground for the rest of the day.

    And the gravel around the chives really smarten them up; I think I will use that trick myself in my herb pots in our courtyard.

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  10. @Soren: I like the idea of a moss garden. Can you transplant mosses? I bet you can't buy them in the garden centre. My main difficulty would be finding the right place for a moss garden. All the shady areas in my garden seem to be dry ones, not ideal for moss. I don't understand why the moss seems to do best in the sunniest areas!

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  11. I love moss too - we have a small wall around our pond and moss grows up the side that is always shady it's so tactile too. Must admit to not wanting it on the lawn though!

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  12. Mark, the Bay in the pot is an inspiration. I always have problems with scale killing the Bay, and also gardenias. What is your trick?

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  13. +1 for loving moss, though I think your bay trees look smarter without it. I love the fact that I now have moss around my pond, but like others now use gravel liberally on seedlings and seed trays to stop it taking over à la Carol Klein.

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  14. George: I don't have any special tricks for looking after the Bays. The two standards I have are relatively small and therefore it is possible to pick off individually any scale bugs that appear. On their parent, which is much bigger and more unruly, it's another matter...
    I do find that most years the Bays get attacked by some bug or other that sucks the sap from the tips of the twigs, causing the leaves to curl and go brown. It's never catastrophic though, and I pick off the worst damage and just live with the rest.

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  15. General thought: does Carol Klein get commission payments from B&Q or someone??? Her influence over the use of gravel is evidently on a par with Delia Smith's on the use of bouillon!

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  16. I like the moss too, but the gravel looks quite smart.

    I've seen where moss can be propagated by running it through your blender, looked it up quickly and here is a link:

    http://www.thegardenhelper.com/mosscare.html

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  17. I think the moss look nice under the bay tree. People who like Balinese design garden would leave the moss alone as it gives the garden a more natural look.

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  18. Further to David's comment - I was amazed to read this: "Propagating Moss.
    Take a clump of healthy moss and crumble it into your blender.
    Add 2 cups of buttermilk and 2 cups of water.
    Blend at the lowest speed until it is completely mixed and the consistency of a thin milk shake. (add water if necessary)".

    I thought this sounded like a recipe for EATING moss, until I read a little further... "Paint the mixture onto rocks, pots or statuary, or simply pour it on the ground wherever you'd like your moss to grow!"
    What a fascinating hobby this gardening is!

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