Covered with Moss

May my lord's life endure
A thousand generations,
Eight thousand generations,
Until a pebble
Becomes a boulder
Covered with moss.
- Kimigayo, Japanese National Anthem

I've been working on the small moss islands in the Stroll Garden all summer (see April 17 post). 

The small island was planted with moss from my wife's vegetable garden. 

I am not sure what type of moss this is, but it was dark and clumpy. It was also not very pleasing to the eye. 

The larger island was planted with a combination of moss I had harvest from the edge of the garden near the wood lot and some left over moss from the vegetable garden. They did not go well together. Also, I didn't have enough to complete the entire bed, so I waited all summer for moss to grow elsewhere so that I could transplant it into the final 30% that was left unplanted. 

spring, 2016

I am not sure why, probably a combination of increased shade and daily watering, but the Zen garden is beginning to produce large quantities of moss throughout. I don't mind this so much, but I don't want it to take over completely. As a result, I had plenty of moss that I could extract and relocate to the larger Island.

First, I removed the moss that had been planted from the vegetable garden. Doing so allowed me to plant a similar variety of moss in its place. This moss is more green and bright, especially when wet.

I now have the bed completely filled. There is a bit of difference with some areas in terms of color and texture, and indication I am mixing different varieties of moss. However, it definitely looks better than the previous mix.

Most of this moss survived through the hot and dry summer, so I am hopeful that it will remain intact and healthy following the winter into next season. 

Perhaps in the future I can harvest enough to transform the smaller island, but for now, I like the look of the different moss.