Miniature Moss Gardens: Create Your Own Japanese Container Gardens

by Megumi Oshima, Hideshi Kimura

Miniature Moss Gardens presents expert advice and techniques from Japan, the birthplace of miniature gardening.

In Japan, moss is revered for its sublime colors and textures, inspiring gardeners and non-gardeners alike. Moss can be found everywhere--in your garden, in crevices between stones, and in cracks in the city concrete. In the tiny world of terrariums, container gardens, dish gardens and kokedama (moss ball gardens), moss is a magic carpet that turns a diminutive plot of soil into a self-contained living world.

You'll learn about :
Miniature Moss Gardens offers expert advice and techniques from the birthplace of miniature gardening. One of the only books in print to focus on moss and miniature gardens, it is friendly enough for total beginners and full of ideas and tips for experienced gardeners.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Plants, Japan, How To, Art, Horticulture

128 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2017

Reviews

[Kevintipple · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moss isn’t just found deep in the mountains in some cool, damp place. It can appear on the side of a brick wall, the edges of pavement, and many other places. Miniature Moss Gardens: Create Your Own Japanese Container Gardens by Megumi Oshima and Hideshi Kimura gives the reader the necessary knowledge to recreate the outdoors inside by way of container gardening.

“Chapter 1: An Introduction to Moss” begins on page 10 and gives the basics of moss. Classified as “Musci” nearly all of the 20,000 species or varieties are perennial and evergreen. They need sunlight to survive and propagate by releasing spores on the wind. There are three types of Moss which are the Musci, Hepaticae and Anthocerotae. How the leaves and stems grow are the primary distinguishing aspects of each type.

“Chapter 2: Observation, Discovery, and Gathering” begins on page 17 and is all about tracking down moss. After getting permission from the property owners and ascertaining the living conditions of the moss you will be gathering, there are good ways to gather the moss living outside. How to do it and the gear you need is explained here.

You have identified the moss, gathered the moss (and maybe a rolling stone or two) and have brought green treasure home. In “Chapter 3: Care and Maintenance” you are taught what to do and just as importantly what not to do to maintain your moss. Along with some more information on how to select moss whether you are buying at a store or getting it from your yard, neighborhood, etc., maintenance is the major focus of this chapter. There are a lot of tips on the simple items you will need to maintain your moss as well as actual care of the moss regarding fertilizer, the proper way to water and or misting the moss, placement on your patio or inside the home, and diagnosing issues as they arise. Also included in this section is information on how to grow more moss by way of seeds, cuttings, and “stretching” it out on a soil bed.

You have your moss, it is thriving, and things are going well. Of course, you need to show of your moss. Starting on page 41 with “Chapter 4: Making and Displaying Moss Creations” various ways of doing so after you work through a flowchart that helps you pick out the right type of moss for your personality and skill level. While the chart on pages 42-43 is interesting and helpful, it seems a bit late in the book to be presented here.
Though the location here does tie into the following pages. Each depicted moss fits one of 4 types in ranges from A to D. Once you know the type of moss that is right for your personality and skill level, then there are pages that reference that type of moss in a container as well as the other choices related to that particular type of moss. Also included here is an explanations of the necessary items needed for moss gardening, soil types, and more regarding what you do with various types of moss as well as more planting and care tips.

“Chapter 5: Finding Moss in Cities and Mountains” begins on page 85 and gives far more detail on the finding and harvesting of moss than what was covered at the beginning of the book. These pages are informative and helpful and would have been better suited closer to the front of the book. Much of the pictures in this section come from Japan and not only are close up pictures of moss, but also scenic shots of various types depicting manmade structures in their local natural environments. Cultural landmarks are referenced with details pictures and illustrating the moss found in the area.

“Chapter 6: Moss Identification Guide” begins on page 107 and details some of the moss types you may encounter outside in your local area. This is done over several pages and would also have better served readers if placed earlier in the book. The conditions that each moss type needs to thrive in the outdoors is also presented here as is info on how to recognize it and use in your home setting. A “glossary of moss terms” on pages 116-117 follows as does afterword sections from each author and additional close up pictures of various staged moss settings.

As in any book from Tuttle Publishing, there are plenty of pictures and textual information. The pictures are always colorful and the textual information is clear and a lot of depth. There is a paragraph textual style immersed with small bullet points areas containing additional useful information.

While all the information is useful, the placement and flow of the book has issues as noted. The way things are organized in the chapters as well as the placement of the chapters themselves does not work to resent the information well for the reader. Miniature Moss Gardens: Create Your Own Japanese Container Gardens by Megumi Oshima and Hideshi Kimura is an interesting and informative book, it should have been laid out better for readers. This is especially true for the intended reader market of those new to the world of gardening with moss.

Miniature Moss Gardens: Create Your Own Japanese Container Gardens
Megumi Oshima and Hideshi Kimura
http://www.nicogusa.com
Tuttle Publishing
http://www.tuttlepublishing.com
April 2017
ISBN#978-4-8053-1435-7
Hardback (also available in digital format)
128 Pages
$19.95


Material supplied by the good folks of the Dallas Public Library System. My review copy came from the Kleberg-Rylie Branch.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2019

[Sixwing · Rating 3 out of 5]

This very Japanese little book has a wide variety of pictures of adorable moss gardens. If you want in-depth information on Japanese mosses, it's a good start.

I was hoping for more about care and troubleshooting of terraria focusing on mosses, but it was rather light on that kind of information.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started out fine as a how to on this specific style of Japanese moss gardening. I picked up book because it was the closest thing my library had to general moss info, so I am not the target audience. I mostly learned I am not responsible enough to own moss. Then I was presented with a flowchart that suggested there may be hope for even me and I kept reading. All of this was fine and well, but then the book wildly veered off into what I can only describe as a photo journal of day trips around Japan looking for moss. This goes on for way longer than it takes to get the point. (14 pages!) Then there is a poem (?) before you finally get to a helpful compendium of moss types. The final 8 pages are full pages of tiny plastic animals staking on hills of moss. It was all a lot.

[Vanessa Hutchinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolutely delightful book! Laid out in a magazine style, the book is full exquisite images of moss, kokedama, bonsai and terrariums. I particularly loved the images of the dish gardens. This book will teach you all you need to know about creating your own tiny gardens from moss, including soil mixture the tools you will need and where to source moss in your vicinity, meaning finding in the environment around you. I loved the tips on spotting moss in central Tokyo just in the cracks of the pavement or around manhole covers.

[Michelle now at StoryGraph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where has moss been all my life? A lovely book and easy read from cover to cover while enjoying my morning cup of coffee. With pages full of photos, descriptions, and definitions, it will definitely be my go-to moss manual. Well done!

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple book that is good for starters.

Very few pages and very small projects...I was expecting a little bit more so I found the book a little disappointing.

[Joanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book taught me that moss is a lot more plant-y than I imagined! What a neat book!

[Lulu Cao · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a lot of clear and pretty pictures and does provide step-by-step instructions with good pictures for the topics it covers.

But it isn’t very in-depth or doesn’t explain the motivation for some of its instructions. Its advice appears simple and isn’t very helpful. It also has many repeated descriptions, such as those in the main body and those in the separate info box on the page.

Here’s an example of why it’s unclear. When specifying that moss doesn’t absorb nutrients from soil, it goes to great lengths explaining how to create the correct soil for moss. But it doesn’t explain why moss needs exactly this kind of soil, even though it doesn’t need nutrients from the soil. It also doesn’t explain why the ratio of different soil components has to be such.

Here’s another example. It states in several places that moss must have good air circulation. But then when it introduces moss terrariums, it fails to explain how moss gets its much needed air circulation in this seemingly enclosed system.

It appears this book might be directed to teenagers instead of beginning moss growers who expect to learn in depth how to collect and care for moss.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not at all what I expected but I enjoyed it for what it was. I was looking for an in-depth how-to guide to getting into foraging, cultivating, and displaying moss, and while there was some of that, it wasn’t super detailed. I will still have to do some more research before I really feel like I can get started on doing these things myself. That being said this book has a very romanticized outlook into the world of mosses that was very endearing to me. There are lots of “kawaii” Japanese details such as a tiny talking moss ball that gives commentary every few pages or so. There are lots of pretty photos included, making this a quick read. It was lovely.

[Diana Pederson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miniature Moss Gardens

I was looking for book on moss gardens that would also discuss terrariums. Found many suggestions to challenge myself. Only problem was moss species discussed were from Japan. Now to find similar species in my location to use with ideas from this book.

[Annette McIntyre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting book on how to garden with moss.

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honest Haiku——

Focus on moss please——

Lost in land of confusion——-

There was promise here——-

[Rory · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this book but it is quite regionally focused, so is great for ideas and techniques but less so for other content

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good place to start.

[Juli Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a truly unique book, with wonderful horticultural information on keeping mosses, combined with cutesy illustrations. A must-read for moss enthusiasts.

[bookmunkie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cheesy and repetitive with a few tidbits of useful information.

[Johanna Haas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very sweet little book about moss and how to grow it in different styles of small gardens.

[Sadie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun to look at and have my kids ideas for projects.

[Justine Oh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practical and useful information for newbies creating miniature moss gardens.

[AJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable and inspiring. I already garden with and have a moss terrarium, so the tips in this guide were appreciated. I really liked the guide to the different species of moss.

[Penny Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine place to start if you want to learn more about creating and caring for a moss garden.

[Петър Стойков · Rating 4 out of 5]

Добро начално описание на най-новото ми хоби. Разбира се, има пропуски, като най-значителни са в най-важната част - отглеждането на мъх на закрито.

[Tina Panik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great explanations of mosses, their habitats, and how to work with them. The photos have an instructional, step-by-step feel, but the cartoons are unnecessary, and add an unnecessarily juvenile feel to the book.

[Cheryl]

Lovely. Great layout. TO BUY!
Such a fun idea...
Am already scoping out bits of sidewalk moss here and there.