NICE thanks for sharing!

Hey, thanks, T-man!
Things are a bit dreary this time of year, so I thought I'd entertain myself and share a few shots, as well.
I'm already planning for the fern season ahead...visiting nurseries and scoping out the yard....

Josh

Josh, these are unbelievably beautiful pictures...I never thought that moss could look so good! You gave me a great idea for my garden this spring!
Thankyou, and I know where I can get plenty..And that fern is perfect...

Josh, do you keep the moss out of full sun?

I am also a collector of rocks..lol. I get them from all over the country, even islands!

Thankyou for directing me here and sharing..Hum, maybe another interest, hobby, addiction!

Mike..:-)

Hey, Mike, so glad you could drop by!
Ferns are some of my favorite yardplants...! The first fern shown - tiny guy - is the California Polypody. They don't have much presence, however, as they go dormant when the ground dries out in the summer.

The second fern shown is my all-time favorite, the Giant Chainfern (Woodwardia fimbriata). This is the largest fern in North America, and it is spectacular! I'll attach a link to a Thread with more pictures of this fern variety in particular. (You can also see Oak Woodland Fern, Dryopteris, to the right and left of the Chainfern).

The third fern shown is the Western Sword Fern, which is a real workhorse. They are abundant around here, and for good reason - they are incredibly drought-tolerant. They do tend to be a bit messy.

I'm originally from Humboldt County, up in the redwoods, and I've always had a fascination with primordial forests and deep, fern-riddled glades. I try to recreate this feel using the various plants at my disposal - namely Coast Redwoods and native ferns. Slowly but surely - adding leaves, mossy rocks, and old logs - I've made cool, shady areas that retain moisture, even in this dry California climate.

I picked up another Alaskan Fern today, which I will be planting beside a Japanese maple (Sango Kaku) in the front yard (the same tree in the ring of stones pictured above). I meant to get it in the ground this afternoon, but I ended up mulching stuff instead.

Most of this moss gets light filtered through the oak trees in the summer. It dries up, like everything else, during the summer. When I set a stone, I try to face the mossy side toward the north. I also set stones deep enough that the moss can wick moisture up from the soil.

If you're ever interested in a specific fern, you can always request new pics/close-ups!

Josh

Here is a link that might be useful: Giant Chain fern enthusiasts (pic)

Hi Josh,
Mike is sharing so here I am!

Beautiful pictures!! I love moss!!

And Mike, I too collect rocks! and my son. :) Love old logs too! :)

Hubbys swears someday I'll sink the boat! When we go fishing, I find treasures.. ROFL!

Not something i would attempt to grow, so Josh, I will admire yours. ;)

Have a great day!
JoJo

Jojo, you do live in Arizona, right..?

I once packed some rocks in my luggage that must of weighed 50 lbs...lol. That day they had to keep deboarding people because they feared the plane was too heavy to lift for take off in 110 degree weather. They deboarded 50 passengers all together, but not me...;-(. Imagine what was going through my mind as I sat there, thinking about how my rocks MIGHT cause a big problem, as sweat poured down my face from nerves!! LOLLOL. Yup, we made it over the mountains just in time...

By the way, Josh, I have one of the most unique ferns you could grow! I will send you a piece when it comes back from the dead..

Thankyou Josh for sharing these with us. And Jojo, you must find some beauties of rocks as I did down there..

Great ideas on how to keep Moss alive..I am going to do it. In fact, I know a place where I can get ALL kinds!
Just remember that keeping your boat afloat is much more important than sinking it..:-)..

Yes, Mike,

Tucson, Arizona.
Boy you were in Az. and didn't stop by.. I'm hurt..LOL!

Now I can just picture you sweating it with all the rocks! ROFL!!!

JoJo

Hey, thanks Mike and Jojo!

I love crumbling logs and old stumps, too!

Josh

Hey Jojo,
don't be suprised if I come back and get more from Sedona!!lolol, lest I get arrested from stealing from those sacred grounds..What beauty at that place...
I have been to Tuscon!! I love it there!

Josh, what a crumbly logs? Lol. My mom has an Elvis stampm and a Marilyn Munroe one..I think she is starting a new hobby!

Can't wait till the spring comes to see all the moss the woods has to ofer me...Still beautiful!

Mike

Josh,
I will try and post some pics of my logs later. Need to wait for the sun to come up to get them. LOL!

They came with moss, but it dried up, but still looks beautiful! My guys brought them home from a hunting trip, someone had cut them , and they were laying around camp by the fire pit.

Maybe i'm strange, but they mean more to me than if they had come home with jewlry and flowers. :)

Mike,
If you were to get to Tucson again, and the two of us could spend a day together, we'd both get arrested, and then have fun explaining to my Mike what happend! ROFL!

Now, I put in a post somewhere my nic name was trouble at one of my jobs.;)

JoJo

Good morning, my friends!
Hey, Mike, you've been missed (on and off the Forum! Still working out? ;)
Crumbly logs are old, rotting logs, covered with moss, lichen, and fungi! The more color and texture the better. I like to partially bury a log, and then plant ferns around it.

Jojo, please do post some log pics! (I'll take some shots today, too). This Forum tends to move at a moss's pace, so I'm really excited to see a bit of activity here! Oh, and I don't think you're strange at all....when my sister went camping recently, she asked me if I'd like a souvenir from the Coast - I said, "Yeah, bring me some cool pieces of driftwood!"

Josh

Hello guys..

Josh, that is what I did!!lolol I asked my father to bring back logs and coconut shells from the beach, since they all get washed up there this time of year..lol
My dad brought me a beauty from there last year.

I was always a collector of "driftwood" and rocks..I never thought of rotting ones with moss and the like..Nice idea.

Jojo, you strange?no......lol..Actually it is like being a pet, you buy them something nice at the pet store to play with, and they would rather play with a ball of yard or sock..lol
You and I would definately get into trouble out there taking items from sacred places..lololol
We'd probably end up getting in trouble stealing a totum pole, being caught by some tribe and get tied to one..

Ok, I must try to go and post on the other side and see what is going on, before my head pain comes back. I hit my head pretty hard, and my eyes hurt. But they don't hurt enough to see Josh's beautiful pictures..I would love to see some logs you collected to..

Mike..:-)

Howdy! A few more of various rock edgings and logs and moss and ferns! I'll post the new Alaskan Fern separately.
Okay, in the pic below, there's a Western Sword Fern and a Daphne (which blooms in March). There's also Star Jasmine growing up the deck...and there's Dragon's Blood Sedum in the coffee pot.... ;)

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Josh,
What amazing pictures!! Such beauty! I really love the log coverd with moss! And that little creek, how refreshing!
The coffee pot is so cute! Cant plant in metal here, poor roots would cook! LOL!
Everything looks so green and happy! :)

So glad you share, and Mike sent me over here. ;)

so I'm not the only one who likes treats from nature instead of a store.. Cool! :) I think that makes us special people. ;)

I have some drift wood but not out in the yard yet. My son calls them aligator logs because that's what they look like to him floating in the lake..LOL!

I took some today, but my yard is a gravel mess and has yucky bermuda grass I need to get out. LOL!

It will take me awhile to figure out how to get them loaded in puter, new camera.. So I will post them in the morning!

Mike, something tells me we'd get arrested no matter how we spend the day! ROFL!!

JoJo

Hey, Jojo! Thanks for the kind words! It's my pleasure to share!

The funny thing is, that Sedum even cooks here...During the summer, it has to be hidden in the shade of a plant, or moved onto the deck. You're right, it would never work in AZ...! ;)

Here's the latest addition to the yard! An Alaskan Fern as a companion to a Sango Kaku maple:
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Josh

Hi Josh!
I made it! LOL! Just couldnt get them done yesterday. New camera and new upload program, just don't mix with my "not a computer person" brain..LOL!

This is what logs and such look like where it's hot and dry. which I prefer. ;)

This one guards my flower bed, and I swear he smiles. ;)

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This is in what will be the flower bed.

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My sis made this darling bird bath for me last mothers day. and the pile/mess in the back is the start of the gritty mix..lol.

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The one my son calls the Aligator log

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This is starting to crumble..:( So I need to work on saving it.

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This one will have a container on it soon. :)

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And here's my pet rock. It reminds me of a bunny. :)

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OMG!!!!!!!!!!

I can actually pull up your pictures here Jojo, but I can't see Joshes. What's up with that??!!!:-(.....:-)

These are unbeleivably beautiful!!!!!! Wow do I love this thread..

Thanks Josh for telling me about it and for such a great time..Wait till you see what mine look like once the snow finally reveals some beauty!

Oh, now I can't wait to go looking for more in places I never once thought to look, like the old woods up the street, the back of my brothers farm, and my friends woods!

Jojo, you have places there in Arizona, that have some of the most amazing driftwood and stones you could ever see. I saw some in some state parks that I would never take, yup, I would not take because I would of felt wrong about that, but boy I hated to leave them there..lol
I must be weird, because my friends would never notice things like this, and asked me what the heck I saw in them..Oh well, they are also the same ones that don't even know what a fern looks like.

Josh, with the pics and places you have to discover, I can't wait to see what else you come up with..
I am jealous that all your weather is warming up..My temps reached the 50's today!!!Yup, I wore my shorts today for the first time while exposing my nice WHITE legs!

God, between your cactus and Josh's unique rocks, moss, ferns, and so on, it makes one appreciate what the planet has to offer.

I had a good trip here..

Take care dear friends,

Mike..:-)

Mike,
Arizona does have it's share of rough beauty! Some of the people here in the trailor park, think my logs look like junk.. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder..:)

They're my treasures and not going to give them up!

Josh,
All your yard is so beautiful and peaceful.. but to me that says cold and snow too! LOL!

Mike, be carful with that heat wave! LOL! Glad your getting a little break from the cold.

72 in the shade here now... But no shorts for me! I hide the white legs! ROFL!

JoJo

Hey, everyone!
Happy Friday! Mike, it's 55°F out right now, 4:00 in the afternoon. My corner of California is fairly cold through the end of February. We're supposed to have a series of storm systems (rain) this weekend. It's a three-day weekend for our schools. Incidentally, Martin Luther King Jr. and I share a birthday...*wink*...so we always have a day off in our honor!

Jojo, you have a nice collection of logs and stumps!
The first one looks like a skull that's melting (and smiling)...I'd love to have one like that! I'd have something crawling over it in no time ;-)

The "alligator log" is also reminiscent of a whale to me!

What's the diameter of that crumbling round? It looks pretty wide...

Josh

Hi Josh!
Thanks!

I think the smile/skull would look awsome with moss! It has such character! my friend said tonight it reminded her of an elephants foot. It's my favorite!

My poor crumbling round is 14"! I know because last summer I measured it for a drip tray. I cover them with trays to keep water out of them, as you can see, they are very pourus.
It left in a storm, so I need to get more soon. I had a container on it, but it was quite the stom, knocked it all over and uprooted trees all over town.! I may get some copper wire and wrap it to keep it together.

I hope you enjoy the 3 day weekend! Our kids get it off too! Birthday.. wink.. How cute! LOL!

I have one more awsome hollow log in the back i'll try and get picture of.

Thanks for letting me share Josh, and for you sharing your beauty!

Mike, Get out there, shovel, scrape, hair dryer... LOL!! ;) Can't wait to see yours! :)

Have a great night everyone!
JoJo

Howdy!
We've had some wonderful rain storms these past few days!
The creek in the backyard is flowing very quickly...maybe I'll get a pic tomorrow. In the meantime, here's another shot of a moss on my largest rock:

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Well, it is about time Josh..lol. The puter being good to you lately?

I for some reason LOVE this thread. It is like a breathe of fresh air at a place I never think to go..Thankyou Josh for making me aware of this one.

All those rains buddy! Good grief. What about tornandos? is the end of the world coming?

Shoot, I can't pull up this picture!! Josh, you are a tease..What is weird is that everyone that Jojo posts, is right here in front of me..They all come up..
Did you see her pups? My God they are soooo cute Josh!

Jojo, I can't wait until that crusty hard top 2 feet snow melts away, trust me...

Mike..:-)

Hi Josh!
That is so beautiful!! Looks like a hat sitting on the rock! LOL!

I think your rain moved this way! LOL! We've had it bad the past few days and high winds! Thurday after noon from 4 pm to 1am we were under a tornado watch here in Tucson! I was alone, hubby had left town and not in the best of moods! LOL! Afraid of storms. Even tried to talk Mike into coming and holding my hand. LOL!!

Your closer, guess I should have asked you..;)

The creek by me is running... Well actually it's a huge river that's dry until heavy rains. LOL! The Santa Cruz River.

Josh, you really need to stop teasing Mike! LOL! maybe you should send me your pics and I will load them. LOL!

Mike, Thanks! ;) I do agree the pups are cute!!! Josh, they are posted under our long thread in containers, and at Jodi's. ;) They have grown so much! It's funny, I pull them out give them a big kiss, put them back and their mom washes it all off! LOL!

Oh Mike, you really need to move somewhere warmer..LOL! Me or Josh would love to have you for a neighbor! ;)

Take care all!
Josh, thanks so much for sharing these!!! So beautiful!

JoJo

Happy Saturday, JoJo and Mike!

It's still storming here, though the high winds have moved on...enjoy them! ;)
Yesterday we had snow....I spent the afternoon at one of my friend's houses, drinking expensive coffee and watching the snow come down...

Your pups are very cute! Such pink little noses!
I had meant to post a long reply to that Thread, but my computer froze...and I was too discouraged to recreate the reply... :-(

As far as pics showing up for Mike....well, I notice that a lot of folks can't view pics from work...I never access the internet from work, so I'm largely unsympathetic to the predicament...! ;)
Besides, if I tease Mike with the prospect of images, I know he'll make sure to swing by before he crashes into bed at night!

I wish I could take ya'll on some Mossy river tours...I'd have your boots wet in no time!

Josh

Hi Josh!
Good to see you posting. :)

Hey, you can keep your winds!! I had enough the other day. LOL!
We still can't get over tornado warnings here, it just doesn't happen this time of year!! winds were up to 75mph at times.

We have snow today on the mountians, it's so pretty and thats how we like it here. From a distance. LOL!

Thanks, the pups are growing so fast! Any puppy is beautiful.. :) yes, pink noses. :) She's a great mom and they are doing well!

I can understand not wanting to go back to the thread. My computer has been acting up too. it is frustrating!!

Tease Mike, Too funny!!! but yes, it will get him to stop by..:) LOL!!!

A tour shure sounds like fun! I taught my son the fine art of stomping in mud puddles as soon as he could walk!! Those are some great memories. :)

Have a great night!

JoJo