Hastening to Plant Some Irish Moss

“Don’t let any moss grow under your feet.”  Well, why not?  Moss is beautiful, and it is much hardier than we might imagine.

Irish Moss is a favorite of many gardeners. A small patch can be planted with ease, seeming as though it is just sitting upon the soil without any deep root structure, and generally it will take hold with no problem. As time passes, it will spread to form a lush, dense carpet of healthy emerald green… perfect even for areas between walkway pavers. (Light foot traffic will not harm it.) But what is most appealing at this time of year when many of our gardens are cooling down drastically at night (and soon to experience plummeting temperatures in the daytime, as well) is the ability of Irish Moss to withstand rather harsh weather and return as a perennial in USDA horticultural zones 4-9. (Zone 9 might be a bit of a stretch, I believe, as Sagina subulata will not want to overheat.)

Now, at this time of year with only weeks of good growing weather remaining for my garden, I would not set Irish Moss atop the soil haphazardly. I would do a little extra-careful locating and digging, making sure it is well-protected as it works to set root in the remaining days of October and a bit into November. But I do have faith that with minimal care, Irish Moss can still be dug into the soil, take hold, and return.

I have grown Sagina subulata, or Irish Moss, indoors... not really as a houseplant, but as a short-stay "guest" on the plant table. My personal experience with this took place in the earliest days of spring, and although my Sagina subulata stayed indoors for a couple of weeks, I did eventually transplant it outdoors when the temperature seemed right. But during the weeks that Sagina subulata was cozy and on the inside of my windowpanes rather than in a more desirable outdoor location, it did quite well. So, if you fear that your Irish Moss may not have quite enough time to establish itself outdoors in your region, then add it to an indoor display until next spring... but do transplant it as soon as the weather breaks.

With Sheet Moss, I often decorate the tops of indoor plant pots: Picture a tall holiday Amaryllis showing off atop a bed of soft and velvety green. “Rich” seems to be the word to describe the look of this sort of display. Although I have not used Sagina subulata for this sort of plant-pot topper, I see no reason why it would not work well. Moss of all types, including Irish Moss, can be gently teased and torn apart to arrive at pieces that work for you… pieces the size of the spaces between walkway pavers, or pieces the size of the top of a houseplant’s countertop container. So you need not feel restricted in any way. Use Irish Moss almost for “crafting”, and I say with confidence that you will not harm your lush green plant.

One note about Irish Moss is that it does not travel well in extreme heat. It survives outdoors during the warm days of summer, provided you are not holding back on water. Put Sagina subulata in a location where it can enjoy rich soil, stay moist but avoid wet feet, and take in bright or dappled sunlight for most of the day, and it should do well. But keep in mind that you cannot have it shipped to you in the hottest weeks of summer. So, adding Sagina subulata to your indoor displays or garden now might make sense, as it should travel quite well in the present autumn temperatures.

I know that “don’t let any moss grow under your feet” means “get going… don’t sit around and wait”. And I remind myself that if I want to get a few new plants established in my garden—a garden that is quickly cooling down in fall and getting ready for winter—I cannot waste time, and I must choose the right plants. Sagina subulata is a plant that I can still dig into my garden at this time of year. Its hardy nature, which is somewhat unexpected to me considering its summer-green tones and softness, gives me this ability… at least if I act quickly enough to avoid the moss-under-foot state of being. So "bye for now": I'm off on a mission, no time to waste. Still, if I don't move quite fast enough, and a little Moss grows underfoot, it will feel absolutely great.