Mountain Moss — #moss
MOSS-apalooza -- September 5, 2015 0
MOSS-apalooza -- The Grand Opening of Mossin’ Annie’s new Mossery and Book Release Party will be held on Saturday, September 5th from 2-5 pm! We're gonna have a fun time!
ORDER Mossin' Annie's Book -- The Magical World of Moss Gardening 0
I am so proud to announce that my book, The Magical World of Moss Gardening, will be officially released by Timber Press in August 2015. If you’ve been wanting to learn more about successful moss gardening methods and best species to incorporate in your designs, then you’ll find inspiration and guidance.
Since book quantities are limited, please order your autographed books (soft bound version or hard cover) from our Web site NOW! 
Mountain Moss will begin shipping copies in just a few days and Mossin’ Annie will personally autograph your book.
Mosses are a gardener’s dream. These emerald beauties thrive where nothing else grows, and they provide year-round interest in all climates. The variations in color, texture, shape, and even size will amaze you. In this inspiring guide, Annie Martin—Mossin’ Annie to her fans—covers the essentials for creating an extraordinary moss garden. With profiles of the best mosses to grow and expert advice on planting and care, you can create fascinating combinations and establish a verdant oasis to enjoy for years to come.
The impressive photographs provide inspiration as you explore the green grandeur of moss gardens. The significance of unique botanical characteristics and how-to tips will help readers understand how to achieve moss gardening success. Mosses that have proven to be winners are highlighted in the identification section setting the stage for gardeners to follow the right place, right moss guidelines. Techniques for enhancing your landscape with mosses encompass planting, maintaining and troubleshooting. In addition to Mossin’ Annie’s expertise, insights from other moss gardeners across the country are included in feature profiles. Chapters include:
Introduction – Moss Magic
Green Grandeur – A Tour of Moss Gardens
Bryophyte Basics – Botany and Natural History of Mosses
Mosses for Gardeners – 25 Bryophytes to Know and Grow
From Concept to Garden Plan – Designing with Mosses
Planting and Propagation – Establishing Your Moss Garden
Your Thriving Moss Garden – Maintenance and Troubleshooting
While content covers a wide range of topics, you’ll find the tone to be informative yet imprinted with the passion of a dedicated mosser. The connection of my spirit to the world around us is woven throughout my book. The significance of responsible land stewardship and environmental benefits of mosses are stressed. Although scientific terminology is used, I’ve used my own voice and recounted stories that impart how moss gardening is magical for me. 
I’ll share the opening paragraph:
“Every time I walk out my front door, my mosses greet me, triggering a smile in my heart. The magic of my garden engulfs my spirit, ant that internal smile instantaneously moves to my face. As I gaze at the dazzling mosaic of mosses in my garden, I feel immense joy and pride juxtaposed with calm. Throughout all the seasons, my mosses have a magnetic quality that engulfs me. Most often, I am catching a quick glimpse for an infusion of moss magic as I head into the world in my work as a moss landscape designer and moss farmer. What a divine way to start the day!”
For all my friends and moss-some supporters -- Share in my joy when I first held my book. Here's the YouTube video on Mossin' Annie's YouTube channel -- The Unboxing and Unveiling of The Magical World of Moss Gardening. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxMPAybyUwM&feature=youtu.be
Here’s the behind-the-scenes book scoop... If you order an autographed book through Mountain Moss’ Web site, then you will be showing your direct support for all the years that I’ve spent gaining this knowledge and time spent writing this book to share what I’ve learned with other gardeners. Otherwise, I’ll receive a very small royalty -- approximately $1 – if you buy elsewhere. It’s your decision to support Mossin’ Annie, your local bookstore or Amazon. Needless to say, I’ll greatly appreciate you buying from me. Buy one for yourself. Share with friends and family, too. You’ll be delighted to see that smile appear on the face of your loved one when they open up The Magical World of Moss Gardening as a treasured birthday gift or holiday present.
NOTE: All book pre-orders need to be received no later than August 10th at 10 am so that you can be guaranteed an autographed copy in the very first shipment. Your book will be shipped around August 19th.
Moss Green Roof in the Sun?!!! 0
Cool and green describe the new Moss Green Roof at The North Carolina Arboretum located in Asheville, NC. It reflects the value of mosses in achieving year-round green beauty as well as exemplifying the tolerance of mosses that live in full sun exposure. Yes, SUN not shade mosses are featured in this innovative and creative expression of the WNC mountain landscape. In addition, rainwater harvesting is incorporated into a misting irrigation system to keep these mosses lush.
Green roofs offer many environmental advantages in reducing the heat index of a building and providing solutions in terms of stormwater run-off in urban areas. For most green roofs, sedums are usually the plants of choice. However, since mosses already grow on roofs in our mountain region, it makes sense to intentionally choose indigenous bryophytes (mosses) as a horticultural preference in creating this demonstration green roof on the garden shed located just outside the Baker Education Center at the NC Arboretum.
Utilizing bryophytes (mosses) that like direct sun exposure 
(Polytrichum, Climacium, Entodon, Hedwigia, Atrichum, Leucobryum, Ceratodon and Ditrichum), Mountain Moss has transformed a glaringly bright tin roof into a verdant expanse of moss art. With various shades of green and textures, the mosses will provide additional delight with brilliant reds, golds and bronzes when in sporophytic reproductive stages. When other garden plants are dormant or dead, the mosses will keep on giving joy, even in winter months.
Planted in 2012 during the summer heat wave while temperatures were in the high 90s, the Moss Green Roof has already been subjected to the stresses of extreme weather conditions. Yet, despite extreme heat, torrential thunderstorms, high winds, and hail, the mosses are in tact and adjusting to their new abode. With botanical characteristics that enable mosses to tolerate all types of extremes, these miniature plants are hardy. In the winter when temperatures drop below freezing, the mosses will not only survive... but grow!
Another aspect of the green appeal of mosses is that these non-vascular plants provide solutions to environmental issues such as stormwater run-off, water filtration and erosion control. Since mosses don't require any pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers, there will be no groundwater contamination. To learn more about landscaping options featuring mosses, visit www.mountainmoss.com. If you'd like to see the entire production process of creating this SUN MOSS GREEN ROOF, check out these photographs that document the entire process: https://picasaweb.google.com/118327841512493525469/MountainMossNCArboretumMossGreenRoofJune2012
Annie Martin, known as Mossin' Annie (that's me up on the roof working) an environmental moss artist/landscaper and owner of Mountain Moss in Pisgah Forest, has spearheaded this moss green roof project. Other Transylvanians involved in the production of the green roof included 
Joe Bruneau, 7 Arts Coop Gallery Director, and Eric Stephenson, owner of Rite Angle Builders. With minimal structural modifications necessary to prepare the roof, the team has used EnkaDrain (produced by Colbond in Enka) as the primary substrate for planting. 
Kevin McRae of K2 Irrigation in Asheville, has connected the existing rain water cistern into a misting system for the mosses on the garden shed roof. Supplemental watering is a key factor in long-term success of any moss feature.
In keeping with the mission of The NC Arboretum to cultivate connections between people and plants through creative expressions of landscape stewardship, this moss green roof project promotes conservation and education through this groundbreaking garden demonstration. Funded by The North Carolina Arboretum Foundation Society, this MOSS GREEN ROOF, located in full sun, could very well be a FIRST in the Green Roof industry in America. It certainly is a moss milestone for me!
Be Cool and Go Green With Moss!
Mossin' Annie
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Mountain Moss May Newsletter Intro 0
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Welcome 2011 0
As 2011 begins, moss plans in motion. Surely all these baby steps will lead to giant leaps this year. Yesterday started off with email contact from a moss lover in California. It's exciting to connect with folks who have always wanted to use mosses in their landscapes. Memories from childhood or fascination with glimpses of green throughout all seasons seem to prompt this desire to treat mosses as real plants for serious consideration. Moss connections continued throughout the day. A Florida moss lover sent back glowing comments about her new moss calendar and Mood Moss Mini Terrarium necklace. While shipping a 2011 Bryophyte Calendar to another moss lover in Virginia, I ran into a Louisiana hurricane transplant. He commented on seeing a niche of bright green mosses along the high ridges of the Blue Ridge Parkway up at Sam's Knob. When I bumped into the dog catcher, he said guys were wondering when the “Moss Lady” was coming back to the animal shelter. Guess it's time for another rescue of Atrichum and Mnium from behind the kennels again. After trying to peddle a few calendars at the local bookstore, I headed home. To my delight, a professor friend from Roanoke called and we talked over an hour about potential mosses for land reclamation at rock quarries. Collaborative project in the works. Finally, I spent time in my own moss garden. The 10 inches of Christmas snow has melted already and green is once again revealed for winter pleasure. New Entodon seductrix sporophytes have appeared nestled under the fronds of Appalachian Rock Polypody fern. 
So many ways to Green America with Mosses! The future is bright... and green! Go Green With Moss in 2011!
PS There's still time to order your own Moss Calendar NOW!
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- Tags: bryophyte calendar moss Uncategorized
