How to Grow and Care for Scotch Moss

Scotch moss blooms with clusters of tiny white flowers in late spring.

It is a relatively short-lived perennial that dies out after a few years.

Scotch Moss Care

The plant prefers well-draining, consistently moist soil.

Plant them relatively close together if the goal is to blanket an area with greenery.

But you should expect to remove and replace aging plants as they begin to falter after a few years.

Full shade is a recipe for disaster when it comes to Scotch moss.

Providing it isn’t going to suffer intense afternoon heat, it does best in sun.

Scotch moss prefers a fertile, moist soil, but one that is also very well-draining.

This is best achieved by making sure the planting area has plenty of organic material blended into it.

Well-drained soil is an absolute must for this plant as it won’t tolerate standing water.

Either extreme can cause brown patches for this species.

It may struggle with the intense heat of the afternoons of the South.

In very fertile soils, Scotch moss won’t likely need any feeding.

For less rich soils, an annual feeding in the spring can be beneficial.

Just ensure not to overfeed or use a strong fertilizer.

A single cultivar,Arenaria verna’Aurea', is the only key in sold commercially.

As plants get old and die out after a few years, remove them and replace with fresh plants.

Plant the seeds by just barely pressing them into the soil or seed-starter mix.

Provided the seeds get plenty of warmth and direct sun, and kept moist, they will germinate easily.

No winter protection is required for these plants.

check that they are well-watered going into winter but avoid standing water over the winter months.

If your plants begin to turn yellow, it often means that crown rot is starting.

Withholding water until the soil dries out fully will sometimes halt the rot.

But if the rot continues, remove the entire plant.

Withholding fertilizer will usually control this problem.

Unlike true mosses,Arenaria vernawon’t grow in full-shade or wet conditions.

But when flowering, Scotch moss produces clusters of flowers, whileIrish moss bloomswith individual flowers.

Irish and Scotch Moss, Sagina Subulate and Arenaria Verna.University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension.