Many of us were raised on the myth of the American lawn: lush, perfectly green, weed-free stretches of grass were the gold standard for proud homeowners.
Companies with names like “Chemlawn” prospered as suburbanites did their best to keep up with their neighbors. (By the way, how about the name Chemlawn? Really?)
Shortly after I moved to Amherst in 1990, my friend Marietta Pritchard took me for a walk in her neighborhood on the west side of town. She was eager to show me a house on a tree-lined street that had recently given up its lawn to an artful assemblage of mosses, rocks and shrubs. “There’s no lawn to mow!” remarked Marietta. We agreed this was an interesting though unusual concept.
I’ve come to learn that moss is becoming the “it” thing in shady places. People who have striven for years to cultivate grass where it doesn’t want to grow are coming to terms with Mother Nature; instead of destroying patches of moss that flourish in their shady yards they are encouraging it to grow and replace the sickly grass.
Others are cultivating moss gardens in shady places. It’s not hard to see why. Moss thrives in damp shade, and once it takes hold, it blocks out weeds, it’s unpalatable to deer and other critters, and it looks fabulous.
The oldest living terrestrial plant, moss has been on the Earth for at least 400 million years. A 1,500-year-old clump of frozen moss in Antarctica was restored to life two years ago, and clumps up to 5,000 years old have been found in the ice.
Moss is fairly slow growing, but it isn’t difficult to cultivate if you have the right conditions. Moss has no vascular system, meaning that it does not take in nutrients through roots, but by osmosis. Instead of roots, it attaches to the ground with tiny rhizomes. It requires only sunlight, water, and temperatures greater than 22 degrees Fahrenheit to survive.
The first step is to clear all grass and other plants from the area, and to make the surface as smooth as possible. On the website mossandstonegardens.com, moss expert David Spain writes: “If you imagine yourself to be less than an inch tall and had to move across the soil’s surface, you would understand the importance of smoothness.”
Because moss doesn’t draw nutrients from the soil, it isn’t choosy about soil quality. Many mosses do just fine in poor, compacted soil. They prefer acidic soil, with a pH of 5.0 to 5.5. If you’ve been putting lime (which is alkaline) on an area of lawn and now want to replace the grass with moss, you should check the pH. To increase acidity, apply powdered sulphur, 2.5 pounds per 100 square feet. Or sprinkle the area with rhododendron fertilizer.
You can use the moss you already have, dividing it and spreading it out so that it will fill in. Or you can buy moss on line, or collect it from friends. Some good choices are: sheet moss, bright green and good for shady patios and between paving stones; cushion moss, forming gentle mounds; haircap, growing taller, with star shaped leaves; and rockcap, swirling dark green masses that requires deep shade.
Ask permission before taking moss from public nature areas. Take small amounts carefully, and the remaining plants will restore themselves.
Once you’ve gathered your moss, prepare the area by raking it lightly. Then, place moss pieces on the prepared area, water deeply, and then walk on the patches to make sure they are firmly attached to the soil. Continue to water daily with a fine sprinkler for three to four weeks, until the moss is bonded with the soil. Some sun exposure is fine, but not long hours of afternoon sun.
Think of your moss garden as a blank canvas. Keep the area weeded well, Remove leaves and other debris that will interfere with the moss’s growth. You can rake gently, or use a leaf blower on the lowest setting, being careful not to disturb the moss. Although moss requires attention to get started, once it’s established, it’s easy to maintain. Unlike grass, it disdains fertilizer and requires little water.
There are a several good websites where you can purchase moss and get information on moss cultivation, including www.mossacres.com and mossandstonegardens.com.
Holyoke’s Wistariahurst Museum, the Victorian mansion of William Skinner and his family, is a lovely house and garden.
This Saturday is a great time to visit the site and also to shop at its annual plant sale.
The sale will feature annuals; perennials such as hostas and designer daylilies; shrubs including azaleas, hydrangeas and lilacs; trees including Kousa dogwood, silverbells and golden raintree; vegetables and herbs; and hanging baskets and planted containers. Master gardeners will be on site to conduct soil tests and answer gardening questions.
The sale will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the driveway area of Wistariahurst, 238 Cabot Street, Holyoke. Admission is free; please use the front entrances to access the sale.
GARDEN CLUB OF
AMHERST PLANT SALE
The Garden Club of Amherst will hold its annual plant sale May 21 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. under the tent next to the Amherst Farmers Market on the Amherst Common, rain or shine.
The plant sale supports beautification projects, an annual University of Massachusetts scholarship and contributions to local conservation and education organizations.
Visitors may choose from a large selection of wonderful plants, including ephemerals and rare wildflowers donated by many local gardeners.
The Southampton Woman’s Club has been holding its Anita Smith Memorial Plant Sale every year since 1991. The event will take place on May 21 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Conant Park on Route 10 in Southampton.
The sale will feature locally grown perennials.
For more information, call Joy Erickson at 527-2028
After soldiering through the winter in their indoor sites, the Amherst and Northampton Farmers Markets are now back at their outdoor venues. They offer plants, produce, locally made cheeses, organic, grass-fed meats and much more.
The Amherst market is in the parking lot on the town common and hosts live music from 10 a.m. on.
The Northampton market is on Gothic Street, just off Main Street.
Both are open Saturday mornings. Amherst runs from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Northampton runs from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Mickey Rathbun can be reached at foxglover8@gmail.com.