Beautify Your Garden Beds With A Hardy Ground Cover You Can Grow From Seed

If your garden beds are still newly planted, they might be looking a little sparse if you've left enough space around each plant so it can grow to its full potential. No matter how much you wish your plants would grow faster so they can fill in your beds, you know that they're going to progress at their own pace and there's nothing you can do about it except wait for the magic to happen. Well, there is actually one little thing you can do right now to beautify your garden beds in the meantime. Why not interplant your current selections with a hardy ground cover known as Irish moss (Sagina subulata)? In fact, there are plenty of good reasons why you should use Irish moss to fill in bare patches in your yard or garden, including the fact that it's low-maintenance and not invasive. 

Irish moss is an attractive evergreen groundcover you can grow from seed. It grows well in USDA hardiness zones 4 through 8, , and forms a nice dense mat with the most attractive green mossy leaves that just beg you to run your hand over them, so you can feel how downy soft they are.  Once it's had time to spread, it will look like your garden beds are covered with a gorgeous velvety carpet that you can even walk on. Come spring, your landscape will come alive with tiny white fragrant flowers that look just like miniature daisies.

You can grow Irish moss from seeds by either sowing them directly in the garden in spring, or starting them indoors around six to eight weeks before your last frost date. When planting outside, understand that the seeds are extremely tiny and it's a good idea to mix them with sand so that you get adequate coverage, and the seeds don't blow away. After spreading them, lightly press the seeds into the soil but don't cover them. Irish moss prefers fertile, moist soil but doesn't handle dry or waterlogged ground. Sandy or rocky soil is best for this plant to thrive. Make sure you keep the ground moist while you're waiting for the seeds to germinate, which should take around 14 to 21 days.

This lovely ground cover can grow in full sun or part shade. In southern areas, it does best with morning sun and shade in the afternoon. Once your Irish moss is growing happily in your garden, you should get a nice, dense carpet in just eight weeks. Other tips on how to successfully grow Irish moss include regular watering during dry periods, making sure you have excellent drainage, and limiting your use of fertilizer because too much nitrogen will result in plants producing mounds rather than a carpet effect. As an added bonus, hummingbirds will flock to your garden when they find that they can use the moss to camouflage their nests.