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Japanese Zen Gardens

Moss gardens are unparalleled in their timeless beauty. The green, lush plant used in our Japanese Zen gardens is capable of creating a serene, tranquil atmosphere in ways others cannot. For centuries, the Japanese have utilized moss in their Zen gardens, and now, with Moss Acres, you too can experience the lovely environment moss can produce.

Moss has been used in Japanese Zen gardens for centuries, the earliest of which originating in ancient Japanese rock gardens. In Japan, each element in the Zen garden is symbolic; stones represent mountains, sand represents water, and moss represents islands in the Japanese Zen gardens. The moss and stone are organized into groupings and placed into the sand; often times they correspond to actual settings. Using a highly stylized method, designers of Japanese Zen gardens seek to duplicate the tranquility of nature, and, through meditation, take the viewer of the garden to a peaceful place. When one witnesses a Japanese Zen garden, it is very easy to see why moss is used this way. The calm, vibrant green plant creates a wonderful mood and is able to connect anyone to nature through its tranquility.

Thankfully though, you don’t have to go to Japan to experience the tranquility of Japanese Zen gardens; Moss Acres can provide you with all the moss you need to create your own Japanese Zen garden in your own backyard!

Read on to discover the numerous uses of our four distinct moss types that can be used in combination with our Japanese Zen gardens.

Because of its low profile growth habit, Fern Moss (Thuidium) makes an excellent alternative groundcover for areas of your yard that are shaded, or pathways where it is difficult to grow grass. Moss thrives in shade! The neatly tailored look that Fern Moss provides is perfect for accentuating and showcasing other, smaller woodland shade gardening plants and ferns that grass would obscure.

For an almost instantaneous effect, Moss Acres can provide you with Fern Moss plants by the square foot, or if time is not a concern, in smaller pieces by the cubic foot – a technique that requires small plugs or ground moss to be spread out over the soon-to-be moss garden area, and then allowed to grow together over time. This is an excellent type of moss to use with Japanese Zen gardens.

Fern Moss and Rock Cap Moss (Dicranum) can also be used to add color and interest to the tops of rocks, boulders, or walls, or as a complement to water garden ponds.

Hair Cap Moss (Polytrichum) and Cushion Moss (Leucobryum) are sold by the clump, and provide exceptional contrast in color, texture, and growth habit. They are idyllic when used in rock garden design, Japanese Zen gardens, Japanese rock gardens, with rock garden boulders or water gardens, or in conjunction with flatter growing Fern Moss.

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