Moss is taking over, but after many years of being bemoaned for its invasive spread through our lawns, it’s time to celebrate this underrated plant. Not only does it make a natural, green softener for hard landscaping edges, but it can also be used as a top dressing for planters and is perfect for using in terrariums. Better still, you can grow and collect it in your own garden.
You should never collect moss from the wild as all wild plants are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981). Mosses play a valuable role in the biodiversity of our landscape and should only be bought from sustainably farmed sources.
Ancient plants
The official term for the plant group including mosses, liverworts and hornworts is bryophyte and there are said to be around 1100 species of bryophyte in Britain and Ireland. They are believed to have evolved from ancestral green algae and are thought to include the earliest lineages of plants.
There are more than 20,000 species of moss worldwide, ranging in size from microscopic to over a metre. Their beauty lies in their colouring and their intricate detail, which begs to be admired up close. Some seem to glow with a mystical luminescence, while others resemble underwater seaweed or miniature forests.
RHS Chief Horticulturist Guy Barter says, “Moss has no roots and cannot compete with plants, and in fact is a useful groundcover, preventing weed seed germination, as well as boosting biodiversity. Moss is also fine to add to your home composting.”
Moss takeover
At the RHS Urban Show in 2024, Moss Clerks caused a stir with their magical, moss-filled installation, which highlighted carbon processing, the cycle of life, and the important role played by moss. All the mosses they sell are either grown by them, or collected from certified timber areas.
Take five
Moss Clerks give us their top five mosses to grow:
Moss Magic at RHS Hampton Court
As a love of moss swept across the RHS Shows, it also featured at RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival in 2024, where the Moss Magic Garden, designed by Bea Tann, brought the charm of a fairy woodland to a small urban space.
Top of the moss at RHS Chelsea Flower Show
There was also plenty of moss on show at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2024, with forest floors, woodland glades and shady courtyards all making the most of the green attributes of these fascinating plants.
In the The National Autistic Society Garden, designed by Sophie Parmenter and Dido Milne, a shady dell at the rear of the garden was home to a range of mosses, clinging to stones, filling crevices and smoothing over sharp edges like a soft blanket. The smell was intense, drawing you in with that sumptuous earthy scent. It felt old, and that’s a good trick to use at home, giving new surfaces an aged patina by creating the right conditions for plants such as moss to grow – which generally means moist but well-drained, and they do love a slope.
Using moss in landscaping
Moss can be very useful to create that instant lived-in look. Nothing says ancient like a sprinkling of soft green moss, which can be tucked into crevices, spread onto dampened boulders, or used to blend edges.
Craft projects
If you don’t like the moss in your lawn you could collect it yourself and use in craft projects. As well as being the perfect topping for planters and terrariums, moss is often used as a filler for wreaths, as it can hold moisture. You could even try creating a little bit of fairy-magic in your garden, like with this pretty birdcage, filled with moss from around the garden.
Still not convinced?
If you really don’t want moss growing in your lawn, the best advice is to scarify, to remove the moss, and then reseed bare patches with grass seed, but consider ways to reuse the moss you collect.