苔藓有一种神秘而耐人寻味的东西。Maybe it’s because of the way it drapes over trees and rocks in places like theHoh Rain Forestof Washington state. It looks like a land outside time.
Or maybe it’s a bit of residual childlike wonder from the days we were small enough to crouch on the ground, prodding ants with twigs and sitting on the soft cushion of velvety green.
Perhaps it’s the unbelievably verdant plush of it that seems to glow on cloudy, rainy days when everything else is sodden and dreary.
不管是什么原因,苔藓并不只存在于温带雨林和7岁的下午。它也可以是你的家园中有用而美丽的一部分。无论你想在一个宁静的岩石花园中种植它,使用它作为草坪的替代品,一个绿色的屋顶,或作为一个土生土长的手工材料,这种奇怪的小无根植物可以给你的空间带来一点阴凉生长的乐趣。
A Note On Native Moss
Before I start this list, you should know that the easiest type of moss to grow in your backyard is the moss that already grows there. As simple as moss seems to be at first glance, every species has a preferred set of substrates and conditions for its best growth.
与其尝试培育一种非原生苔藓,为什么不直接使用(免费的!)自然生长在你所在的地方的东西呢?它已经想在那里了,而且显然可以在那里成长。你只需要引导它达到美学上的卓越。
在下面的列表中,你会发现一些在美国和加拿大更常见的苔藓。它们中的大多数享受着相似的生长条件,尽管(正如你将要读到的)也有一些例外。然而,一般来说,你可以期望你的苔藓努力取得合理的成功,如果他们有特定的条件。
- Moist, but not soggy soil
- Shade or indirect light
- Compacted, clay-like soils
- Acidic soils
If you’re harvesting moss from your own property, take note of where it is growing before you move it to your preferred location. Chances are highly likely it is growing in a perfect spot.Make a moss slurry to spread it,replicate those conditions, and you’re in mossy business!
Related Post:Moss Art
There are over 20,000 types of moss known, and you could probably find at least a hundred different moss species in your home county alone. Let’s get into some of the species you may find. Here are 10 types of moss to peruse for a bit of gardening inspiration.
1. White Cushion Moss(Leucobryum glaucum)
Found East of the Mississippi From Canada to Florida
This moss grows in dense, 2- to 4-inch tall clusters that are, indeed, quite cushion-like, as the name suggests. The color is white typically, though if it gets wet in rainfall it may appear more blue-green. It enjoys growing in moist woods, on soil, or on decomposing wood, and it would be an interesting texture to add to a moss garden.
2. Burned Ground Moss/Purple Moss(Ceratodon purpureus)
Grows Coast to Coast With the Exception of States Along the Gulf of Mexico
这种苔藓打破了苔藓的传统,喜欢在干旱地区生长。它还可以覆盖道路的边缘,田野,甚至屋顶。干燥后,它密实的丝绒状表面看起来是棕色的,但好好浸泡一下,它又会变成郁郁葱葱的绿色。
3. Cord Moss(Funaria hygrometrica)
Found Across the US
You won’t have to look far to find Cord Moss. It grows pretty much anywhere it can find a foothold including burned areas, disturbed soil, and even the terracotta pots in your greenhouse. It forms a shallow, yet thick mat that will occasionally be festooned with its twisty, Wonderland-like spore cases.
4. Haircap Moss/Goldilocks(Polytrichum commune)
Found Across the US
Mosses don’t make flowers, but these showy, golden spore cases, lofted on tall stalks, may make you believe otherwise. Able to grow between 6 and 12 inches tall, this wiry element to a moss garden can add some much-appreciated vertical elements. Its preferred growing area is in the woods or the edges of bogs.
5. Delicate Fern Moss (Thuidium delicatulum)
Found East of the Mississippi River, Some Parts of Alaska
A prostrate moss, Delicate Fern Moss gently spreads itself across the ground in a lovely, feathery mat. You can find it growing in the forest on moist or wet soil, decomposing leaves, and rotting wood.
6. Rock Moss(Grimmia alpicola)
Found Across the US
另一种严酷的环境冠军,岩石苔藓可以承受阳光的舔舐,继续生长。它通常出现在阳光充足、裸露的地方和干燥的石灰岩岩石上,潮湿时是绿色的垫子,干燥时是黑色的土堆。
7. Silver Moss(Bryum argenteum)
Found Across the US
银苔形成了闪闪发光的金属绿色地毯,在路边、人行道、屋顶、田野和其他植物不愿生长的地方随处可见。孢子壳是毛发状茎上的优雅向下的胶囊,看起来就像毛茸茸的绿色世界里的小灯笼。
8. Tree Moss (Climacium dendroides)
Grows West of the Rocky Mountains
Tree Moss is on the taller end of the spectrum with upright, branched forms that grow between 2 and 4 inches tall. True to its name, it looks like a lilliputian conifer tree, happily growing in swamps, on wet humus, and decayed wood.
9. Feather Moss(Hypnum imponens)
Mostly Found East of the Mississippi River
羽苔匍匐生长,用柔软的向下卷曲的叶子铺盖在腐朽的原木上。你可以在沼泽、针叶林和树的底部找到它。
10. Woodsy Mnium/Star Moss (Plagiomnium cuspidatum)
Found Across the US
This cute little moss grows 1-inch tall stems that are ringed with leaves, and looks quite starry, indeed, when viewed from above. You can find it growing in shady areas in the woods, fields, roadsides, and your lawn.
Moss Basics
对于普通人来说,苔藓似乎并不是一种值得注意的生物。匆匆一瞥可能会让人认为它们都是相对相同的。But take more than that hurried glance — grab a hand lens so you can get up-close and personal — and you’ll discover the truly fascinating world of form and color that could make any gardener lose track of time.
Mosses are simple plants known as bryophytes — and though they photosynthesize like their bigger neighbors the vascular plants, they don’t work the same way. These plants are poikilohydric, meaning they don’t move water through their cells as trees or flowers do. They hydrate and dehydrate depending on environmental conditions.
This trait is why they are able to survive so well in odd conditions such as on a rock face or in the cracks of asphalt. It’s a bonus for the gardener looking to utilize this tiny plant. They can survive in places other plants cannot.
When it comes to propagation, mosses don’t flower and make seeds. Spores are more their style. Carried on the wind, these tiny potentials for moss scatter broadly and boldly seek the ideal location to grow.
Though only a fraction find that Goldilocks location, once they do, they are able to settle in and start their unique, multi-stage life cycle. When you see moss growing on a tree, you can rest easy that it’s not parasitizing. Mosses function asepiphytesmerely growing on the surface.
Some Ideas For How To Use Moss
Even if you are still living in the city or an apartment and still waiting to find your homestead, moss is a great way to bring some green into your living space.
Related Post:How To Make A Succulent Terrarium
苔藓耐弱光,只需要保持湿润,所以它是一个相当容易保持的植物。Whether you make a little indoor terrarium or decorate your work desk with amoss garden, some green can help keep the dream alive.
Woodland Moss Garden
If you think you have been cursed with a shady, damp backyard, it’s time to see it as a blessing-in-disguise. Moss can literally fill in where other plants can’t and will transform your garden into a unique and beautiful dreamscape of rock and green. Check out the following links for some inspiration.
Ground Cover
Maybe you’re reading this article because you are trying to find ways to eradicate moss from your lawn and achieve the dream of a perfect, seamless backyard. I’d like to let you in on a little secret: Moss doesn’t have to be considered a weed. It can make a fantastic ground cover in its own right, and you don’t even have to mow it.
事实是,如果你的后院长满了苔藓,那是因为院子是长苔藓的好地方,而不是长草的好地方。苔藓自然喜欢酸性土壤,紧凑的土壤,适当的荫凉,以及足够的水分来保持绿色和茂盛。它甚至可以容忍少量的行人。
Related Post:9 Ground Cover Plants To Replace Your Grass Lawn
So rather than fighting it and trying to seed grass that may or may not grow, try embracing moss! Transform the shady part of your backyard into abeautiful moss lawn这里有石板、风景如画的巨石和其他喜欢遮荫的植物。
Craft Ingredient
Unlike the flowers and vegetables you grow in the garden — here today, wilted or eaten tomorrow — moss can last. Plucked and blotted dry, you can use it to maketons of different craftsandhanging decorations, or fashion it into theseliving art pieces.
Please make sure, however, that you’re not harvesting moss from wild places and parks. That stuff is serving a needed purpose where it is. Grow your own, harvest it from your backyard, or order it instead.
Hobby
Have you heard of life-lists? Many ardent birders keep them. It’s a checklist of all the different species they’ve seen, and they’re always hoping to catch a glimpse of a rare warbler or other elusive bird. Birds aren’t the only living things with devotees, however.
There are folks out there who are just as excited about studying moss (bryology) and keep life-lists of all the unique species they’ve encountered as they travel and explore. Unlike birds, however, you won’t need binoculars or to wake up at 4 a.m. Mosses hold still long enough for you to find and identify them at your leisure. With thousands of species out there, you’ll never catch them all, but isn’t the joy in the journey?
When you start paying attention to the smallest of details in the world, easy-to-overlook types of moss become as fascinating as the livestock and gardens that we nurture so carefully. Chime in with comments below. Do you grow moss gardens? Have you spent years trying to eradicate it from your lawn? Or are you a moss appreciator with a life-list running? We’d love to hear from you!
Tom Jordansays
去年夏天我种了爱尔兰苔藓,现在它还在辛辛那提北部的梅森。我不认为它能熬过这个冬天,但今年天气非常温和。我对你说的创造苔藓浆液来繁殖苔藓很感兴趣。我有大约10个小碎片生长在一棵有很多树荫的枫树周围。我附近有很多主人。太阳在清晨窥视。我还能做什么来帮助这些小家伙扩散?
Wren Everettsays
苔藓浆真的可以加速繁殖。虽然苔藓会自然地自己扩散,但它的扩散速度很慢。最重要的是保持浆液湿润,在一天中最热的时候使用喷雾瓶应该会有帮助。让我们知道它的进展!
Pamela Thompsonsays
What would be a good moss to use in the base of a fountain?
Wren Everettsays
That really depends on what look you’re going for, how much sunlight is in the area, and where you live! My recommendation would be to find some moss growing in the vicinity of where you want to have your fountain–even if you live in the city, sometimes there’s a decent patch of it by an air conditioner unit. You can transplant that and have a reasonable chance of success.
If you’re really interested in a certain look, though, you should check out images of Japanese moss gardens at Saiho-ji (https://www.kanpai-japan.com/kyoto/saiho-ji), Sanzen-in, and Tofuku-ji. You may find a specific species that satisfies your aesthetic hopes.
Joannesays
Wren, I just LOVE this page and the info you’ve included! I just wish there were photo for the mosses mentions with no photo. Regardless… I opened the URL you provided, read about making a slurry and had a question not covered there. Once the slurry is on a surface can it be covered lightly with a plastic (like cling wrap, etc)? I don’t mean so that the slurry is severely smashed down but rather just tight enough to keep heat inside and to prevent rain, etc from washing it off. And only until the moss has started and is holding on. Thanks!
Erika Andrewssays
What moss throws off a lemony scent to keep bugs away and is an alternative to grass that only grows about an inch and a half? Something that looks purple-ish.