Norie Burnet has cultivated moss on her Bon Air lot for more than 25 years. (Photo by Sarah Der)
They call Norie Burnet the Moss Lady. For more than 25 years, Burnet has been nurturing the moss that grows naturally on her shady 4-acre lot in Bon Air that she calls Eden Woods. “At first I was fighting it,” she says of her relationship with the diminutive, dense plants. “But then my son suggested that I just let it grow. So I did.” Now she thinks of growing her moss garden as working with Mother Nature, not against her. “It has all come naturally,” she says. Burnet describes Eden Woods as her sanctuary; you can hear the reverence in her voice when she talks about it. “There is a beauty and stillness here,” she says, “It’s such a blessing to me.”
Evolving from algae, moss was the first plant to live on solid ground. Today, more than 12,000 species grow underfoot all over the world. It carpets the forest floor and creeps along tree trunks, growing in moist, shady woodlands and thriving even in central Virginia’s compacted clay. It prefers acidic soil. “Some local varieties knit together into a nice green carpet,” Burnet says, “others clump in velvety cushions.”
Mosses are primitive plants with no roots, seeds, stems or flowers. In some species its leaves are only one cell thick. It reproduces asexually, generating microscopic spores that are dispersed by the wind. It requires no mowing or fertilizing and very little water, making it almost maintenance-free.
With one exception: “Moss will disappear if not kept clear,” Burnet says. A layer of leaf litter will block sunlight, preventing the photosynthesis that is essential to all plants, including moss. Burnet prefers a leaf blower over a rake, which can damage the delicate plants. Plus, a blower spreads moss spores in wind-like gusts, propagating more moss.
Getting a moss garden started is just as easy as caring for it. To transplant, simply peel up a pad and stamp it down firmly in a spot where compacted soil has been cleared, loosened and watered well. Securing a section of plastic mesh over the area for several weeks will help fix it in place. Or, start from scratch by sprinkling aluminate sulfate on packed soil that has been swept clear of debris. Keep it damp. In a matter of weeks, moss spores in the air will establish themselves and develop into a green film which, over time, will evolve into a dense carpet. Then just let it grow.
Moss 101
A lush green carpet of moss blankets Norie Burnet's 4-acre lot. (Photo by Sarah Der)
On the battlefields of World War I, injured soldiers made bandages out of moss to prevent blood loss and found that its antibacterial properties also helped fight infection. It is a little green giant when it comes to conservation.
- Because moss extracts nutrients from the air and is naturally pest-resistant, it needs neither fertilizer nor pesticides, helping guard groundwater from contamination.
- When its rootlike rhizoids cling to the ground to anchor moss in place, they also help prevent erosion.
- Moss helps break down soil substrata, releasing nutrients to support more complex plants.
- By soaking up storm water, moss filters runoff and absorbs pollutants.
- Moss pulls toxins from the air and aids in carbon sequestration.
- During periods of drought, moss metabolism slows to conserve moisture; it prefers a light spray to an extended soaking.
