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Friday 6 March 2009

The Moss I loved and Still Love (Mr. WA**)

I actually wasn't going to post today .. I have been up since before 6 AM .. antsy about getting the last contractor to come by and evaluate the deck project .. all of them are on the same page and we should have the quotes next week .. we think we know already who we will go with but you have to be a wise consumer and go through all the steps !
However ... through all of this stress .. Mr.WiseA** has rescued me for fleeting moments .. brought back happy memories of my childhood and how very fortunate I was to live in a semi isolated area (didn't seem that way at the time, as all kids think) .. the forest and the sea coast were my saving grace in extremely difficult circumstances.
Mr. WiseA** has taken extraordinary pictures of an icy creek with amazing ice waves .. and of mossy rocks (boulders?) that I so wished I could keep in my garden ..
He has a natural sense of what true beauty is but tempers it with a wicked sense of humour and wit to disguise that sensitive side of himself .. don't worry Mr. A. I won't tell too many people ... although I do feel a need for a group hug .. I'll settle myself with hugging Sophie .. Emma is napping : )
So .. all that squishy talk and what the heck am I posting about ?
MOSS !!! ... I know some gardeners would run screaming seeing that I am encouraging moss between my ever so boring patio bricks .. but people, it is BORING and it needs some nature hugs (I'm in a hugging mood today .. had some chocolate .. that time of the month ? .. next I will be ready to ride my broom ? ) .. I want to lift random bricks and plant low hardy plants .. herbs .. "stepables" is another description .. I want life between these hard surfaces in other words !! So be it !


Isn't it rather "artsy" to have a folded frozen leaf .. embedded like this ? .. I know .. all of us "Northerners" have TONS of said art waiting to be released .. raked up and composted or other wise gotten rid of .. but a picture of a single one is rather attractive ? oui ?? Do visit the link to Mr. WiseA** (moss post) .. that is my pet name for him .. other wise known as "Wiseacre" .. he is an amazing fellow : ) Cindee at Cindees Garden also posted on moss today .. how funny is that ?

29 comments:

themanicgardener said...

I love moss! Encouraging it could be seen as a way to think outside the paving stones, perhaps. Good luck with the contractor choice.
-Kate

Kit Aerie-el said...

Moss--love it! Great post!
Instead of a 'wordless Wednesday' this week, I did a post on 'Marvelous Moss'. :)
Coincidence...or brilliant minds thinking alike?!

Gardeness said...

Is moss becoming more popular? It certainly is a cool element to have/add to the garden. I like it growing between your stones; a nice little maze.

Tatyana@MySecretGarden said...

First, looking at the pictures, I thought that you somehow got into My garden and took a picture of My back patio with My moss!! I love it! I just don't like when it gets brown. Is it no-no to have moss where a lawn suppose to be? I don't want to fight it, it comes back anyway.

Giddy said...

You lucky girl! You can already see your patio and some green stuff! I love moss and will be ecstatic when I can see it again.

Soon, soon, please.

Tessa said...

I guess brilliant minds do think alike- both Aerie-el and I posted about moss this week! Your moss looks great in between the bricks- I love moss, personally, it is such a beautiful green, and sometimes a rust color. Happy almost spring!

Anonymous said...

Hi Joy, Mr. Wiseacre is quite a guy and his mossy rocks in the frozen stream were spectacular, as are all his photos and stories. Your moss is coming along nicely too. As for getting up before 6 AM, welcome to my world. Usually it is before 5 AM due to The Financier's working hours. You get used to it, but it's early to bed around the Fairegarden! HA
Frances

Anonymous said...

I think you should encourage the moss to grow between the cracks in your pavers. It gives them character. ;)

Gail said...

If I could I would have a beautiful and peaceful moss garden~~I love all the different greens~~and it's usually a nice cool garden area....Joy, I am going to head over to see the other moss stories. What fun...I just bought Bill Cullinas' book Native Ferns, Moss and Grasses. Really good and applicable to your part of the world, too. gail

Anonymous said...

I remember watching a film about a horticulturist in Pennsylvania who has a whole lawn of moss instead of grass. Since the film is no longer available, I found a recent New York times article about him: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/garden/01moss.html . It's a very interesting article with a link to a website that sells moss. You should check it out.

WiseAcre said...

OK big hug for ya. That's for sending me on my way. I fell for Cindee's mossy pics.

Be proud of your moss. It's not the easiest place to get it to grow and it's the best crack filler IMO.

Do you have some deep shade? If so come down with a truck and I'll let you have all you can carry. I'd want to be at Customs when you go back just to see the reaction of the border guard when you declare rocks.

Oh - if some of those ever so boring patio brick are in a sunny dry spot - try woolly or another tiny thyme.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi Kate : )
Thank you very much girl ! Yes ! definitely thinking "outside" the patio stones and certainly encouraging more moss to settle into a nice quiet home : )

Hey there Aerie-el !
If I had remembered to hunt you down girl it would have been included in a "mass moss posting" !! but dealing with the upheaval this week and for the weeks to come , well higher brain function is severely limited even more than before ? LOL .. and YES girl ! brilliant minds : )

Hello Gardeness (way cool name !)
Yes .. I think "cool" green is more in demand with warmer summers .. we all need refuge and this generates peacefully shade : )

Tatyana girl .. can't you have a tiny section dedicated to moss ? maybe it would be happy and stay green and make you smile ? : )

Giddy .. girl I am so hoping you get some of the rain we are supposed to get .. to gently wash away some of that enormous snow fall you have had to suffer through ! Here is to seeing some actual ground for you SOON !!!

Tessa .. I just said to Areie-el that if I had known that about you two (sounds funny eh ?) I would have done a swing by and picked you two up on my post .. the more moss the merrier girl ! Happy almost Spring back girl !

Hi Frances ... it is funny but by Spring time I do get up around the 6 AM mark (my internal clock changes before we actually do the clock thing) I am a morning person .. but YES ! to be early is RIGHT ! .. I have waited patiently for this moss to take hold and I am a proud mama ! LOL
Mr. WiseA** is an amazing fellow for sure ! (he thinks he is shy though ?)

Hi PG : ) .. Yes .. good green things albeit it of a chancy nature to some .. well it is welcome in my garden as the shade takes over more and more : )

Gail girl .. how is it going over there ? busy little "bees" in your garden ! .. I can't wait to see how it turns out !
Yes ! I want to collect more shade plants because it is becoming a wonderful shade garden in the back and the more I turn that way the cooler I am (temp wise that is ? LOL)

Hi Jill ! How are you girl ? .. thank you so much for the ling ! I want to see how he managed that and what it would look like en masse ! Moss is a comfort plant to me ? fewer calories than chocolate ? haha

Dear Mr. WiseA** .. You finally broke down for the hug ! LOL
I am very proud of my moss : ) it has been slowly growing for a couple of years and I have been so waiting for it .. as a natural crack filler too ? LOL
Ah ! My hubby has a Ford Ranger Edge and I think we could do it but the look on customs face .. well .. we might be strip searched for other green material ? LOL
No one wants to see that happen !
YES ! I have a lot of thyme in mind sir : ) .. a few sempervivum .. and what ever else I can see "outside the box" for too ! : ) Thanks, you are a sweetie !

Anonymous said...

I once saw a post on moss rock garden. Did you read that one - it was on Blotanical. And, yes, I agree that green moss is lovely!

Unknown said...

Moss is wonderful. About now moss and fungi are just about all that will grow in my back yard. I think it adds a nice touch to all of the hardscaping on your patio.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi blossom .. I must have missed that post on Blotanical .. darn ! I love wood gardens .. that cool earthiness can't be beat : )

Hi Cinj .. Thank you girl ! I thought the patio now needs some soft touches and seem a little more plant friendly finally ? LOL

WiseAcre said...

OH JOY ...you need to stop over again before I take off for Long Island tomorrow morning (Sunday). I found something that just might interest you.

Don't believe everything you read. It's yours if you can find room in your heart for it.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Dear Mr. WiseA**
That was SOME ROCK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : )

Brenda Pruitt said...

I love the look of moss. The perfect punctuation between rocks. Except I often slip on it. And then I'm cussing at it for awhile.
Brenda

Pat said...

Funny how somethings give us comfort of a time gone by. The moss is a reminder of a retreat in the forest or stone pathways take us back to our parents home. Ok, I'm getting too deep in thought! But you started it!! ha

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi Brenda .. girl ! that could be very dangerous slipping on moss .. was that before or after the glass of wine ? LOL Sorry, I'm bad this morning .. all the rain puddles froze on top of the garden from yesterday .. a mini ice rink .. not good. Mind that no one can here you with the blue air over the moss slipping girl ! haha

Patsi ! you are more than allowed to reflect back on the warm fuzzies that plants give us girl ! I sure did and it was nice : )

Anonymous said...

I love, love, love moss between anything. Here, in OK, it's usually too dry for moss, but now that I have a watering system, I'm seeing more of it. I'm so glad you like it too. Hang in there. Spring will be here soon.~~Dee

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi Dee : ) YES !!! I love moss and have been patiently waiting for this to grow a bit more each year .. it really makes me happy .. I wonder if it is called a moss fix ? like a chocolate fix ? LOL

Anonymous said...

I love the moss between your patio stones. I have little moss patterns running through my patio bricks too, and try to be gentle whenever I rake the patio. The wavy green ribbons look great. I would love to have moss, instead of grass, for a lawn, but I would not want to get out with a pair of tweezers to pull the grass blades out of the moss lawn. :)

CanadianGardenJoy said...

N.S. I so laughed at that picture of tweezers and a few blades of grass to pull out ! .. Yes .. living with moss is a treat .. although some gardeners must think us mad ? .. we are a little strange in our likes and dislikes compared to the norm I guess .. but I like being a little abby-normal ? LOL

Skeeter said...

Hey, I posted on moss this weekend also! I have seen lots of moss latley around Blogland so assume the winter rains are doing their job of providing us moss.

Anonymous said...

I love your moss, I wish I could get moss going here, but I would have to be watering so much that the Governator would be paying me a personal visit to explain the water shortage.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi Skeeter .. wish I had known about your post , I would have linked to you too girl ! We haven't had much in the rain department but water created by snow and ice melting .. well LOTS of THAT !! LOL

Hi there knittnkitten !! Nice to see you girl : )
I love the comment about the Governator !! .. he can come visit my garden any time LOL
We had very dry summers the last 8 years .. but now with winter snowfall and ice we are just about normal ? now ? until the next dry run that is : )

Lisa at Greenbow said...

I just love moss in the garden and have tried encouraging it too. It does soften the pavers.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi Lisa .. yes ! moss now a days is a GOOD thing ! I need all the greenery possible to cool off the garden especially there .. lots of work to do to make it even better : )