Moss rocks
Moss makes me curious.听 I like it; I want to touch and feel it. I even think it holds some ancient wisdom.听 I never thought of growing it, though.听 After all, my sunny wildlife habitat, Helen's Haven, is, well, just that, sunny -- and everyone knows, moss doesn鈥檛 grow in the sun, right?聽
It wasn鈥檛 until I met David Spain, co-owner of -- Where Moss Rocks!, that I learned that was a misconception. Some mosses .听
From there, I continued to learn about moss, and I鈥檓 fascinated with what I鈥檝e learned.听聽
Learning about moss
As a plantswoman, I wanted to know more about moss.听 Available literature was limited and, more often than not, the same information about moss was just passed around like .听 At that time, there was no information available that allowed me to fully understand moss.听
In moss鈥檚 defense, though, it鈥檚 complicated.
I met David Spain for our area鈥檚 Garden Conservancy鈥檚 .听 One day, I found an oasis and worthy candidate -- the moss garden of Richard Urquhart. Mr. Urquhart鈥檚 gardener and son-in-law was David Spain.
David and I became fast friends. David took his time to teach me about moss, to explain things in several different ways until I understood.听 For almost a year now, he has been teaching others, as well, with his and online educational .
Moss is in a big way; and I don鈥檛 see it slowing in the near future.听 It鈥檚 also helpful that at the same time moss is trending, someone like David Spain comes along to teach us about moss in a way we can understand.听 Even Martha Stewart -- or should I say, especially Martha Stewart, given that Martha is a moss expert herself -- recognized David鈥檚 talent and enthusiasm and invited him to be a guest on
Growing moss in a cute container
David Spain鈥檚 goal is to reach out to people to educate them so they will appreciate moss.听 Beyond his teachings, he created a gift item with instructions on how to meet moss鈥� cultural needs.听 ! can be enjoyed at home -- inside or out; on your desk or deck.
Doreen Howard, , says, "The minute I saw Moss Rocks! I knew I had to have one.听They are so cute, furry and green!聽 And, they're terrific houseplants for someone like me who travels often on business.听 I live in a frigid climate (along the Illinois-Wisconsin border in Zone 4b), and winters聽bone-chilling, gray and endless.听 Moss Rocks! are like green sunshine."聽
I鈥檓 with Doreen, the first time I saw them, I had to have one....or two.
Moss Rocks! can be .听 For ideas on how to use Moss Rocks! , check out filled with inspiring photos by co-owner Ken Gergle.
As passionate moss experts, David Spain and Ken Gergle have established themselves as a pioneers in moss cultivation, working to educate gardeners on the perils of wild harvesting mosses and to, instead, help develop sustainable propagation techniques. At the same time, they show you how to have a little piece of moss to care for in your home.
David and Ken, all I can add is, 鈥�惭辞蝉蝉辞尘别!鈥�
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Helen Yoest lives in North Carolina and writes about . She's a garden writer, speaker, and garden coach. She's also a field editor for Better Homes and Gardens and Country Gardens magazines and serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum. You can follow Helen on 听补苍诲 . To read more by Helen here at Diggin' It, click here.
