Moss Varieties and Uses

In her book, Terrariums: Gardens Under Glass (Cool Springs Press), author Maria Colletti shares ten step-by-step projects that use various mosses and other plants. Colletti, terrarium designer for Shop in the Garden at the New York Botanical Garden, says moss enhances container gardens, but it's magical enough to stand alone.

Look for live or dried moss in many different colors and textures. Shown clockwise, from the top: Spanish moss, chartreuse reindeer moss, sheet moss and yellow-green reindeer moss. 

The common names of moss species often vary. All mosses, Colletti explains, are either Acrocarpous or Pleurocarpous. Acrocarpous types grow upright, like this Dicranum mood moss, while Pleurocarpous types have a prostrate growth habit, like sheet moss (Hypnum). 

Club moss (Lycopodium) is a creeping moss that prefers cool temperatures and low to moderate light. It thrives in rich, moist soil, if given good air circulation. Mosses have many different characteristics; choose from types with fine foliage, soft textures, flat or arching branches, and colors that include green, red, bronze-mahogany, and blue iridescence.