Moss Garden? What planting or features will be suitable for a mossy area that was once lawn?

Question

Ever since my neighbour put up a high, solid fence my lawn has become overtaken with moss. Having given up fighting a loosing battle against it, I am thinking of turning it into a feature, maybe a moss garden, or Japanese garden. The only other thing that is thriving at the moment is a Forsythia, but I'd like some ideas please. The fence is on the south west side of the garden with a large yew tree (neighbour's) to the south, and the house on the north west so not much sun on that strip.

Just to say that I tend to forget this is a global sight, and I am in UK but any good ideas and suggestions are welcome.

Answer 1

First of all your neighbour shouldnt have his fence any higher than 6ft. Before you decide to build a moss or Japanese garden you should remember that most Japanese garden plants need quite a bit of sunlight,so why don't you just start by using some shade loving plants and proggress from there, take your time with it and see whats going to do well and whats not, and if eventually you want to turn the area into a Japanese garden at a later stage then at least you will have an idea what will survive and what will not. These plants are in an area of shade in my garden,
Hosta, pauls glory a larger hosta that seems to glow in the shade.
Sweet woodruff, it has delicate white flowers in the spring it is a good ground cover plant.
Astilbe, a great plant for the shade it has lovely foliage and flowers.
Liriope it is considered to be a lover of the sun but it dose very well in the shade
Bleeding heart is another lovely plant for the shade with either red, pink or white flowers.
Solomonseal is a tall plant of about 1m, lovely white flowers and the foliage is great as well.
Hellebores flower in spring when ther is not much else.
Hardy geranium will do very well in shade witha brilliant show, there are many varietys to choose from.
Try Heuchera purple palace, it needs some dappled shade but it will do well. I hope these will give you a good idea to be getting on with.
There is many a beautiful garden in the shade.

Professional Gardner for 30 odd yrs.

Answer 2

Shady garden because of neighbor's tall fence:
I am surprised that your Forsythia is still growing - blooming in that much shade.
How would you like to design a nice Hosta bed? There are so many different types of Hostas with leaves large or small, striped or crinkled. You can edge the bed with Impatiens in white or hot pink, red....you take your pick. You could also add Japanese Painted ferns, as the look lovely in a shadier area.
From what I learned about moss in the grass or being a sole plant on the ground is that the soil is lacking nutrients also, not only light.
Remove/scrape away the moss, dig up, losen the soil, add some compost and 10-10-10 fertilizer and plant some shade loving perennials.

Answer 3

Whereas I am in the USA, I can not, for a moment, imagine anyone wanting a "moss garden". Moss will only grow in heavy shade, bad drainage, and poor soils. Any plant you wish to plant will need soild adjustments or the neighbor removing the sunlight blocks.
You can create a great shaded garden with the usage of Hosta, Bleeding Heart, Various Ferns, and trees such as Dogwoods. Bright colored Bolders can be great in such a setting. Other shade plants are, like the heather, evergreen and will provide color at various seasons. the heather will flower in cold weather, the Bleeding Heart in early spring, but the addition of Leuthocoe, Rhodos, and Azaleas would give you virtual year round garden. Add Pansy for winter or spring and you are set.
Sorry to be so long. You will need to get rid of the moss. If interested I am at [e-mail]. The possibilities are both endless, and, cheap!

Answer 4

If you still want a lawn in that shady area, ask at a local garden center for assistance in picking out a shade-loving grass seed. You might also try to determine the pH of the soil in that area; moss and grass do not thrive in the same pH, so that alone could be what's encouraging moss and killing grass.

Good plants for shade include
Maidenhair and Venus' hair ferns and many others (but not all); Primroses (for which England is famous);
many (but not all) Violets;
Hellebores (which will appreciate the winter nakedness of the nearby trees);
Dutchman's Breeches;
Trilliums;
Jacks-in-the-pulpit;
Epimediums;
Eranthus;
Dicentra spectabilis (the Asian Bleeding Hearts);
Dwarf Crested Iris;
Wild Blue Phlox;
Hepatica;
Bloodroot;
Claytonia, Dentaria, and Columbine (all of which also love full sun--will grow anywhere but in perpetually damp soil);
Oxalis (which are quite hardy, despite claims otherwise, and do well in dappled sun);
Euonymus americana (Running Strawberry, a woody deciduous sparsely-branched shrub-like plant with mostly green stems, small cream flowers, and bright red berries that birds like);
Dogwood trees and Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis, the creeping, cool-summer, groundcover version of Dogwoods);
Polemonium reptans (blue-flowered Jacob's Ladder, which also can tolerate quite a lot of sun);
all of the Trout lilies;
Sedum ternatum (white-flowered, low, creeping woodland sedum, one of the few sedums that prospers in shade);
Virginia Blue Bells;
Tiarella.

Even in shade, don't forget to mulch!

Answer 5

I love a moss garden. I have several different kinds in my yard but especially around the perimeter of my pond. I have it mixed among ostrich ferns and cinnamon ferns, plus some river rock. Since they obtain all their nutrients from the air (moss has no true roots), moss plants require nothing more than shade, acidic soil, and adequate moisture to flourish. All moss plants need is a firm soil bed in a location with adequate shade. It is also imperative that the area in which moss plants will be grown is blown or swept clear of any existing plants, leaves or debris. Moss also seems to prefer poor quality soils with low nutrient levels.

Before utilizing moss as part of your shade gardening plans, the soil bed for the moss plants should first be tested to ensure that the pH is between 5.0 and 6.0 (lower is o.k. - 6.5 is max., but not ideal). If necessary, the soil for the moss can easily be amended with our liquid sulfur or aluminum sulfate to lower the pH to the desired range. Once the moss is placed onto the soil, the sections of moss plants must be tamped firmly into position and watered regularly for the first 2-3 weeks.

A couple years ago, I ordered some moss from a place on-line called Moss Acres. Moss Acres is a one-stop resource for gardening with moss.
Located in Northeastern Pennsylvania, Moss Acres ships four species of moss throughout the U.S. and now Canada. They also offer a complete line of accessory products for growing moss as well as an extensive technical information section. Moss Acres now also offers eight highly desirable varieties of ferns.

From your spelling of "neighbour", you may not be located here in the States, right? Moss Acres probably wouldn't be able to ship you live plants overseas but it's still a good site to visit.

Answer 6

Ferns(many different varieties avail) hostas, and any shade loving plants. Fill in with some rocks & a little water fall spilling over onto flat rocks.....
Check out springhillnursey.com for shade gardens & plant info on what is good for shade & part sun.

Answer 7

If that were the case for me, I'd definately turn it into a Japanese garden. Incorporate Bonsai and small ornamental grasses. Perhaps a small pond with Koi and a bridge. Yeah, I could see that.

Answer 8

I would consider some large tubs with shade loving plants, this would be quick and attractive as you could change them around to suit your taste, there are some very nice plants available and can include flowers and small bushes, shrubs etc.

Answer 9

Try planting shade loving plants like Hosta.

Answer 10

Big fan ferns. I've seen them in Germany so I know they can handle some lower temps.