'mosses' for Japanese gardens

[Spenno]

Hi everyone,

I know this is a bonsai forum, but i was hoping to get some advice on what 'mosses' are used in Japanses gardens. Not so much around Bonsais but around the rocks in zen gardens or as the main green 'hills' in the landscapes.

Every book i read on Japanses gardens just calls it moss, they mention the name of every other plant in the book but just refer to the greenery as 'moss'. It doesn't look like the moss i know and love as there is just too much of the green for it to spread that far as a moss. It has to be more of a ground cover.

Does anyone have any ideas of what they use in traditional Japanese landscapes?

I would also be interested in any thoughts for alternatives. I am thinking possibly Chamaemelum nobile treneague, the non flowering camonmile. Or Bunyip buttons, but bunyip buttons don't seem to spread as much as i will need it to, so it might cost quite a bit. It will be in a full sun, well drained area. Any thoughts?

Thanks

[Mitchell]

Check Buzzings stores for a range called "Step-ables" they are ground coverings, suitable for said purpose. Come in a variety of forms, I have some here, I'll try and grab a pic.

Edit- There you go!

Will give you that lush green moss effect and you can walk on it.

Yes I am affiliated with Buzzings, I would encourage you to check the "Stepables" range out, then try and find it cheaper elsewhere. They are a bit expensive for my likeing.

That's live spagnum moss mixed with it to fill it out.

[Greth]

The Scleranthus cushion plants of the Tasmanian highlands would be pretty ideal, but are very slow growing. We had some growing in Adelaide for many years, one under my 'outdoor bonsai' Dwarf cotoneaster in the miniature garden of my youth.
Should do pretty well in Canberra too. Dont know where you would find them, they do turn up occasionally in mainstream nurserys, but you might be better looking for an alpine or groundcover specialist nursery.

[craigw60]

I grow a few forms of scleranthus here in the nursery they are a bit of a fiddle they need water and seem to be an ideal bed for weed seeds but are great plants. Pratia could be good or babies tears. I maintain a moss lawn at one of the gardens I work in. Its really slow to establish but extremely beautiful. If its full sun some of the very prostrate forms of thyme could be good theres one called elfin which only grows about 2cm.
Craig

[MattA]

The moss you see in traditional japanese gardens is just that... moss... with the high humidity & fainfall in Japan it is ideal conditions for moss to grow. As to what variety it is I cant help you.

Chamomile would be ok as long as its not going to get much traffic and given it is in full sun you would have to supplament water over the warmer months.

I have Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica) growing wild thru large areas of my garden, it is persisent here, in canberra it would probably die down each winter & come again in spring. Another good one to use would be Dichondra repens, I think thats what Mitchell has shown in the photo, it forms a solid mat of green that tolerates mild traffic and full sun. I also have a succulent growing (no idea of name) it is hardy as, takes lots of traffic from my dogs & me without a worry and has loads of small red flowers in amongst the mass. I will get a picture in the morning.

Matt

[Spenno]

Thanks for those ideas. Very helpful.

I already use Dichondra repens in another area of my garden, i love it but in Canberra it gets hit around by the frost.

The area i am preparing will be a zero traffic area, so that something that can't handle traffice isn't a concern to me.

I also use one of the stapables you mentioned, one that has tiny blue or white flowers, (I just googled it and its Pratia) again i love it and the frost doesn't effect it in the same way, so you might be right, i could use that. It seems to spread pretty quickly.

The Scleranthus cushion plants spoken about is what i meant by bunyip buttons. They are a brilliant plant, again i use them in another part of my garden but the area i need to cover is just too big for them i think. It'll just cost too much and take too long. They are actually fairly easy to find in nurseries now if anyone is interested, or maybe that is just in Canberra because I believe it is also called Canberra Grass as it is native to this region also.

Babies tears would be great but might struggle in the full sun position.

But anyway, thank you all for the help. That has given me some ideas, and at least i can forget about what they use in traditional japanese gardens, as it appears it actually is moss.

[Joel]

Hi Spenno,

If you want moss, i wouldn't count it out.

There are mosses that could survive the conditions you propose. There are mosses growing all throughout the world; from hot to cold, wet to dry.

I am about to cover a bushrock retaining wall i recently knocked up with moss. Some of this wall will experience far more sun than other parts. Some will remain moist for longer than other areas too. I figured id overcome this problem by collecting LOTS of different types. So far i have collected and dried out what appears to be 16 different species, but i cant be sure. I dont know that many types of moss! But they sure look different, and come from different areas (rocks, the road, the roof, trees, pavement, lawn, bonsai pots etc). In a couple of weeks time i will blend it all together with yogurt, beer and a tiny bit of sulfur. I will then paint the rocks where i want moss and providing it doesn't become to hot and dry in the following month, i should have a nice lush covering of moss where i want it. People using this technique even use moss to graffiti walls!

Joel

[Spenno]

Hi,

Just thought i would do a follow up message in case people are interested.

After much more research the mosses most common to traditional japanese gardens are haircap moss and Kurama moss.

Both obviously like a damp shaded environment.

Spenno

[Joel]

That's live spagnum moss mixed with it to fill it out.

That appears to be a species of Thuidium, not Sphagnum.

Joel