It's summer and a gardener’s fancy turns to … moss gardening?

Bewitched and bewildered by the shady areas of your garden? Flummoxed by the patchy, sparsely growing grass behind your garage? Consider creating a moss garden for a cool, contemplative look! The following resources in the Sterling Morton Library will help you learn more about these remarkable, itty-bitty plants and how to use them in your garden.

• Armstrong, Patricia K. Bryophytes : tiny treasures of the plant world. In The Morton Arboretum Quarterly, v. 17, no. 2, (Summer 1981), p. 17-30.
• Benner, David E. Made in the shade. In Plants & Gardens : Brooklyn Botanic Garden Record, v.49, no. 3, (Autumn 1993), p. 60-67.
• Blackburn, Joni. Mad about moss—the simple art of moss gardening. In Plants & Gardens News, v. 19, no. 1, (Spring 2004).
• Conrad, Henry Shoemaker. How to know the mosses and liverworts. Dubuque, Iowa : W. C. Brown Co., c1979. QK541.C6 1979
• Daniels, Stevie. The wild lawn handbook : alternatives to the traditional front lawn. New York : Macmillan USA, c1995. [Of particular interest: Moss Lawns and Woodlands, p. 135-143.] SB439.D36
• Ellis, Virginia Lee. Mosses in the garden. In Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin, v. 55, no.3, (Fall 1992), p. 24-25.
• Grout, A. J. Moss flora of North America : north of Mexico. New York : The Author, 1928-40. QK541.G7
• Levy-Yamamori, Ran. Garden plants of Japan. Portland : Timber Press, 2004. [Of particular interest: Mosses, p. 403-407.] SB407.L4
• Loewer, Peter. The moss garden. In American Horticulturist, v. 73, no. 8, (August 1994), p. 13-14.
• Lowry, Deci. The moss garden at Bloedel Reserve. In Pacific Horticulture, v. 51, no. 1, (Spring 1990), p. 16-20.
  (A spectacular garden! Definitely worth a visit if you are in the Seattle area or, for that matter, anyplace west of Des Moines.)
• Kimmerer, Robin Wall. Gathering moss : a natural and cultural history of mosses. Corvallis : Oregon State University Press, c2003. QK537.K56
• Muma, Robert. Mosses in you wildflower garden. In Wildflower, v. 2, no. 3, (Summer 1986), p. 36-39.
• Ottesen, Carole. Mow no more : an enlightened gardener trades her sod for velvety moss. In Organic Gardening, v. 48, no. 4, (May/June 2001), p. 44-45.
• Schenk, George. Moss gardening : including lichens, liverworts, and other miniatures. Portland : Timber Press, c1997. SB433.55 .S3
• Trimble, Michael B. Moss gardening. In Plants & Gardens : Brooklyn Botanic Garden Record, v. 41, no. 3, (Autumn 1985), p. 29-32.