Moss gives any garden a sense of age and weight. Growing it is as simple as providing the right conditions and having patience while it gets established.

Just like ferns, mosses grow from spores. When a moss spore germinates, it develops threadlike branches called protonema, rather than true roots. The protonema push into the ground (or in some cases, attach to a surface) and then eventually develop the tiny flat leaves. Thousands of these plants will bunch together to make a single patch of moss. The protonema serve primarily to anchor the moss to the growing surface. Mosses obtain all their nutrients from the air rather than the soil, which is why it is able to grow on rocks.

Mosses will grow naturally in most areas of the world. The most likely places to find moss are lightly shaded or where there are periods of sun morning or afternoon, although some species of moss grow really well in deeply shaded areas. Mosses are most successful in moist soil, however, well established mosses may survive periods of drought and will quickly regenerate once water becomes available again. Overall, they can withstand highs and lows in temperature, they grow slowly and will live for a very long time.

Live moss is a beautiful addition to your fairy garden. The easiest way to get a patch of moss started is to take a piece from somewhere else and move it. If you want to grow moss on soil, you need to find moss that is growing on soil. If you want to grow moss on rocks, you need to find moss growing on rocks. Often, nurseries will have it growing on the tables in the shade and will appreciate it being removed! Other places you might find moss include roadsides, bushland and in hidden corners of your own backyard. Use an old table knife to lift the moss (not a sharp one!) from between pavers or from the cracks in concrete. Paint scrapers will lift moss off surfaces in nice big slabs. Be as gentle as possible and, if you can, try to remove a layer of the soil with it to reduce the amount of damage to the protonema.