Thursday, June 28, 2012

I Made an 'Oops'

I made an 'oops'.

Ok, in the grand scheme of things it wasn't a very big 'oops'.  It was a small, annoying, what-was-I-thinking kind of 'oops'.

I bought some moss.  I love moss, always have.  Watching the low cover of green inch its way over trees, rocks, or whatever else is in its path, is truly exhilarating for me.  It takes me right into the center of a really, really good fantasy novel, filled with dragons, fairies, and heroes on their quests toward glory.

Yeah.  I love moss.

Why in the world would I call this an 'oops', then, you ask?

Because I didn't buy just any moss... I bought moss that is best grown in zones 5-8




::cue eerie music::


No doubt, you wonder why this is such a big problem.

Well, I was planning on placing the moss at the corners of the retaining wall along the garden path.  Give them a bit of dimension.

Unfortunately, I live in zone 4.  This means that there's a possibility of the moss dying off during the winter.  Not only that, but when you plant something that shouldn't be grown in your area, you risk creating a haven for all sorts of pests that recognize that the plants is out of its element.

Oops.

Planting it in the ground was not an option.  

Any pests that may be drawn to it would branch out into my other plants.  This would be very, very bad.  Remember, I don't use any sort of pesticide or herbicide.  My pest control is reserved for the house, and even then I only use safe, natural mixtures.

What I plant is key in ensuring the unwelcome insects go somewhere else.

I can't plant this.

Fortunately, things didn't go quite as I'd hoped when I visited my old home in the desert last month, and my husband didn't realize that he needed to water my begonia.  I came back to a very dead flower.

My treasure from World Naked Gardening Day was destroyed, but I could use the purse it was planted in to house the moss.

So that's exactly what I did.

Of course, since I planted my moss in a purse, I needed a good location.

I needed to place it somewhere a purse would normally be set down.

Et voila!
The corner of the bench on my porch was perfect for this!  Aside from the table, I think the corner of a chair or couch is the most common place to find someone's purse.

I added some rocks and a fake flower in order to give it a little extra aesthetic value.

I couldn't plant my moss in the ground, nor would I just toss the poor thing aside.  How cruel is that?!

I wanted it to get a nice amount of sun.  This option seemed to be the most viable choice, since I now have the option of making it either an inside or an outside plant.  Heck, with the straps, I can even make it a hanging plant, if I so desire!

I think I managed to turn my 'oops' into an 'ooOOOOoo!'

2 comments:

  1. Hi Becky! It's Amanda. :) Found your blog, and I love the idea of planting in a purse. Might have to steal that one at some point.

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    1. Steal away! Giving old stuff a new purpose is one of my favorite things to do. It makes things more personal and exciting. Just be sure to cut a few slits in the purse for drainage (bottom and lower sides), or the roots will think they've been transplanted into a swamp. Yikes!

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