On my online workbook this week: Snow Glitters and Mossy Glimmers

Dear

This week's inspiration is … when life hands you a bag of slightly past their prime local and sustainably foraged moss that was leftover from wreath season… you do what you can to give it the opportunity to thrive!

Moss is difficult. It is a more sustainable and traditional mechanic choice… but surprisingly difficult to source sustainably. Probably because if you live where moss grows easily it is assumed that you already have a steady supply of moss. Not true, though. My number one rule is to ALWAYS make sure you have permission to forage anything from anywhere. Yes, even in the forest. Yes, even on the side of the road. Rather leave it there for all to enjoy. If you go through the effort to ask for permission you value it enough to research how to take just enough and then give it the best possible chance to thrive well beyond seeing it just as a mechanic.

But there are places where moss gets removed or lovingly grown for us and that is perfect to try and grow a mossarium.

Moss is also a funny thing. In the wild moss appears to grow anywhere and everywhere. Then in your carefully curated terrarium it is suddenly allergic to even rainwater, hates its neighbours, turns its gametophyte up at your total lack of humidity and browns if you look at it in a funny way. But it is so gorgeous that we are always tempted to try… one… more… time.

I quarantine all moss before designing with it. Well… it is a great habit to get into to quarantine all new plants and flowers even just while conditioning. Especially because we prefer to design with chemical free plant material and bugs can slip through your first inspection process. The main reason is to make sure I do not introduce any problems into my designs and plants… especially in my closed terrarium. Carefully rinse the moss with room temperature distilled water. If you are concerned about possible bugs in the moss add the tiniest drop of dishwashing liquid (like Dawn) to the water. Groom the moss by removing soil or darker parts or debris from the moss. Place the moss on a wet paper towel. The other reason why I like to place my material in quarantine is because placing plants in a mini habitat or environment similar to what I intend to design them in (and where they are most likely to thrive) while they condition or acclimatize is a great way to test design concepts before I actually do the hard work of designing. Giving moss a new home while it is in quarantine will allow it to start growing and I can extend my quarantine time from four to ten days to make sure any mold, pests or diseases will show themselves at this early stage. But for how long you quarantine for is up to you. Flowers are ready to inspect after a few hours… preferably overnight. For plants you might also want to wait a few days longer.

While in quarantine spritz the moss with water (at about 20 degrees Celsius or 68 degrees Fahrenheit, basically comfortable room temperature) and wipe out the container and inspect everything carefully. Treat any pests or problems as they appear.

But to be honest I am rather precious about the plants I have so I make sure I buy from a reliable source to begin with, then quarantine, and if I still see problems… I start again rather than struggle to cure and risk infection of the rest of my plants.

Enjoy!

Every good wish,

Christine