While browsing the web I found a picture of something I would like to try. The person had taken irish moss and made circles on a path to form 'stepping stones' with white pebbles around the moss circles. I'm in Northern Viginia, zone 5, and have tried to grow irish moss in two places with no success. Is there another 'steppable' moss that would do the same thing? Or would what I'm describing not even be worth the time?

On 4/29/11 7:06 PM, Ig.Gardener wrote:
While browsing the web I found a picture of something I would like to
try. The person had taken irish moss and made circles on a path to form
'stepping stones' with white pebbles around the moss circles. I'm in
Northern Viginia, zone 5, and have tried to grow irish moss in two
places with no success. Is there another 'steppable' moss that would do
the same thing? Or would what I'm describing not even be worth the time?

Irish moss is not really a moss. It's a flowering plant, Sagina
subulata. While it will take some foot traffic, it really will not take
the constant traffic of a frequently used path. Actually, it will do
better between stepping stones than as something on which to step.

Irish moss requires conditions quite different from true moss. It
requires good soil, good drainage, and full or part sun.

Very similar to Sagina subulata in both appearance and culture is
Aremaria verna, which is also called Irish moss. Both are sometimes
called Scotch moss. Both are hardy to around 5F but will also thrive in
mild-winter climates; however, neither will survive the heat and low
humidity of a desert.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary

Irish moss is not really a moss. It's a flowering plant, Sagina
subulata. While it will take some foot traffic, it really will not take
the constant traffic of a frequently used path. Actually, it will do
better between stepping stones than as something on which to step.

Irish moss requires conditions quite different from true moss. It
requires good soil, good drainage, and full or part sun.

Very similar to Sagina subulata in both appearance and culture is
Aremaria verna, which is also called Irish moss. Both are sometimes
called Scotch moss. Both are hardy to around 5F but will also thrive in
mild-winter climates; however, neither will survive the heat and low
humidity of a desert.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening diary at David Ross's Garden Diary -- Current[/quote]


Any sugestions of something that would work for what I described?

Any sugestions of something that would work for what I described?

The only non-grass ground cover that I think will take some foot traffic
is dichondra. D. micrantha (aka D. repens) is hardy to about 20F, but
walking on it in freezing weather will leave dead footprints.

When replying please either top-post or else remove my signature and the
"dash-dash-space" delimiter above my signature.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary