Mosses and Others

Some young ferns starting to grow in the limestone mulch. Such an interesting pattern. Forgive the repeat, but I want to provide the link to the larger image if people want to look closer.

New Ferns - May 4 2019 (1437K)

A small plant of Irish Moss that I didn’t know what it was at first and thought it was a potentially invasive weed I did not want in the Creeping Thyme. I weeded it out in the spring of 2019. Later that summer it was regrowing again and I looked up what it was and figured out that perhaps I’d like to see how it worked out. I moved it to a new location where I can keep a closer eye on it. Since it survived the winter I will keep weeding the thyme from around it and see how it fills in on the edge of a compacted slope. We’ll see how it looks in a few years. A nearby small patch of Pink Creeping Phlox is having a pretty tough time, but perhaps a plant closer to the ground will be able to do better.

Irish Moss Start - Mar 15 2020 (2349K)

After a summer of growth it has done pretty well, but the surrounding creeping thyme is certainly giving it a challenge. I do have to keep weeding away (about once every few weeks) the creeping thyme to make sure the moss doesn’t get smothered. I do know it will survive if it is growing among the creeping thyme, but I do want to have some bare moss area as a contrasting texture and to see how it performs under direct light on that slope.

Irish Moss First Season - Sep 12 2020 (2868K)

A closer picture. I’m sure hoping all those seedlings sprouting are the creeping thyme as it would be nice to fill that area in faster.

Irish Moss Closer - Sep 12 2020 (3585K)