Mossy “Moss” Pebble… in the snow

Step one when designing with moss: always to get good quality, sustainably grown and harvested moss. It actually should be so valuable that you do not want it to die. Once cleaned, groomed and quarantined you are ready to design.

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.
Better yet, if it is not growing in your garden source your moss from someone who is an expert.

Use a sharp knife to cut into a faux moss pebble.

You can buy these from craft stores or even amazon.

Lift out the lid piece.

Open up the plastic to line the inside of the pebble.

You can skip the lining if you prefer. I line mine because the polystyrene inside was not as dense as I wanted it to be and I am worried that water might seep into it at a later stage. Better do a good job early on than having to discard the moss because I did not line it.

Secure the plastic lining to the pebble using hot glue.

Design note: Next we choose what is the best habitat and substrata for the particular moss we have. The bag was labeled as step moss (Hylocomium splendens) but it looks like there might also be another type of moss in the mix. But mostly step moss is the most commonly found moss here in the Pacific Northwest. It grows in a variety of habitats on diverse substrata, such as decaying logs in the forest, the forest floor itself, cliff shelves and tree trunks. So giving it a little tree trunk should feel a bit like home.

Use fishing line to tie the moss to the tree fern shape.

You can also use green thread but make sure it is polyester to prevent rot.

Place the shape in the pebble and adjust the moss to create a design.

Pour out some artificial snow in a shallow container.

I get mine from Crate and Barrel but most craft stores sell a version of this snow.

Dip the glue in the snow...

Move all the way around the pebble and give it a snow covered edge.

You can use moss as a mechanic to keep the flowers hydrated but because my moss is going to be in quarantine and I want to continue to grow it I want to avoid introducing any bacteria into the design. When adding flowers make sure to give them a separate water source. Add in two tiny water tubes into the moss.

Press a bamboo skewer into the tree fern base.

And spear a mushroom over the skewer to hover just above the moss.

Design update: I did not have much hope for the moss because it was in the bag from well before Christmas. But I washed and groomed it and tied it to the tree fern. For the most part it still looks green and healthy. I am still rinsing away tree fern dust (you can see it draining out of the upright tree fern) but hopefully that will also clear up after a few washes. If all goes well I will place the moss in tiny mossarium designs by next weekend.

Exciting... right?