Field of Science

Latest Moss Gardening Book

I'd like to introduce you to my latest book purchase. Native Ferns, Moss, and Grasses: From Emerald Carpet to Amber Wave, Serene and Sensuous Plants for the Garden by William Cullina of the New England Wild Flower Society.

If you are interested in gardening with mosses I think that this book would be a great addition to your bookshelf. A limited preview edition is also available through GoogleBooks. The suggestions that he gives are highly detailed including sections on: Choosing a Site, Site Preparation, Transplanting Moss, Blending Moss, Establishing Moss on Rocks, and Maintenance. I found his explanations clear and his text easy to read. I think that he covers all the steps needed to successfully maintain a moss garden. I was a little disappointed that only 13 moss species are covered. The book is heavier on the fern and grasses. The mosses that are included are rated from easy to difficult in terms of their ease to grow, which will help to point you in the right direction depending on your moss gardening skill.

I am happy to report that I am not lodging my biggest complaint about moss gardening books when it comes to this text. Often they skip over discussions of conservation, wild-collection vs. greenhouse grown, and sustainable harvesting. Not this book. These environmentally conscious threads are woven throughout the text. The author works for a top notch conservation group, so I guess his including these topics is not too surprising. It is just one of the things that I look for when reading and evaluating gardening books. Happy reading!

5 comments:

  1. Hi Jessica,

    I just wanted to say that I really enjoy reading your blog. I recently started my own at www.adventuresofaphytochemist.com. In my latest post, I commented on your blog. I hope you will check it out!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jessica-- I'm looking for submissions to BGR#25, and would like to include this (or something else from Moss Plants)... (By the way, the book link is broken.)

    Let me know if you have something you'd prefer me to use. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sally - Feel free to choose any of my posts if you would like to use one for the upcoming BGR. Whichever you think would be the most interesting. I don;t have a particular preference. Cheers - Jessica

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love the info!!

    ReplyDelete

Markup Key:
- <b>bold</b> = bold
- <i>italic</i> = italic
- <a href="http://www.fieldofscience.com/">FoS</a> = FoS