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Home » Video » P. Allen Smith's Garden Home | Growing a Moss Garden

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  • P. Allen Smith's Garden Home

P. Allen Smith's Garden Home | Growing a Moss Garden | PBS

Duration: 02:49
Program: P. Allen Smith's Garden Home

I don't know about you, but one of the most intriguing things about this time of year is the color green. Everywhere you turn there are all these different shades of green, and I love the shades that are reflected in moss. Just take a look at some of this that I gathered in the woods.

Moss is often underrated and underestimated. There are lots of uses for it. If you got a situation where you can't grow grass--it's too shady or maybe the soil's too acidic-- you might just think about doing an entire landscape of moss. It can be very beautiful and compelling.

For me, moss goes beyond color. It's the texture that can really arrest your attention. You take moss with its velveteen covering, a few rocks, and flowing water--well, you've created a magical space.

Now, what I'm doing today is I'm actually going to get some moss started on some of these pots. In my shade garden, they look really good with moss growing on them. They look really old. This is a very simple recipe.

You simply take some club moss that you would gather in the woods. You take one part moss to one part sugar to 3 parts beer--ah, the secret ingredient--and hit "puree." Now, let this blend for about one minute. What you're creating here is really a moss smoothie. You just take off the lid. Now you're ready to take this mixture and just apply it to the container like this.

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Post Date: May 7, 2010