JoanMary;

Let's first see if you can find some locally. George Schenk in his book Moss Gardening talks of going to the park and looking on the paths where runners jog. He and other bonsai enthusiasts referred to it as joggers moss. I cruise old strip malls and look behind them near the power equipment. Old sidwalks have moss in the cracks and edges. Visit friends with shady yards.

I spend my early Spring going through woodlands. I live in central Illinois and haev access to much private land. So I thought I had a pretty good collection of the local mosses.

I went this past Sunday to my sister's house for Easter. She and her husband built this house a few years ago and I have never been out in the back yard. I immediately found three mosses that I thought were more interesting than anything I had found this Spring.

The sidwalk mosses Bryum caespiticium and bryum argentium like concrete and are to be found all USDA zones. For pics go to USDA website. The trouble with pics is that moss have suh a fine texture that pics do not give true sense of the depth and feel. Just like fabric the fine mosses must be experienced to be really appreciated.

Let me know what you find. If no luck we'll proceed. I'm pretty sure you in zone 10 have better selection. Look at the arboreteum to see what they have. Selaginella is native to zone 10. If I had it here I would have to take inside in winter. Look at pics on ebay and usda.

Rick

Deep_woods, thanks for responding. I'm off tomorrow to a tiny nursery that carries all sorts of odd stuff! I'll let you know what I find!

I did collect a little bit in another nursery between the stones along the pathway (about a 25cent piece - odd, my computer does not have the icon for 'cent' hmmm)! Also picked up the same amount at a botanical garden. Mixed one with yogurt and poured it on the ground in a sunny spot and popped the other one on the north side of a shrub. Neither of them survived! I was delighted to see my fountain was gurning green - thought it was the beginning of my much wanted moss.....turned out to be black sludge! Very difficult to remove other than with a power washer! Anyhow, I'm not willing to give up yet! So off I go on my hunt again tomorrow! :)

Bought a whole tray-full of moss yesterday! It's not as green as it should be - more on the 'yellow-green side, so I don't know if it will survive! But today it looks a little greener for having been watered well and kept in a more shaded area!

Congratulations! On buying the moss and on correctly noticing that moss when given too much sun will yellow. Some mosses can be on the yellow side but with most that can be a sign of too much sun.

Often collectors find moss in very shady areas and expect that they can transplant the moss in sunnier areas. That doesn't always work. Classic example given in Schenk's book of Polytrichum commune being transplated from deep woods to open arid area in a Seattle park.

Good luck. Post picture.

Rick