You need to investigate what conditions moss requires to grow well. I've never tried to grow moss, so have no clue. I'm thinking that moss might need constant moisture to thrive. Daylilies require good drainage, 6 hours of strong sunlight and tend to be more adaptable to dry conditions then wet. In other words you may find out from your research that the two do not enjoy the same conditions..........Maryl

Maryl -- guess I didn't state my situation clearly! I don't need to know HOW to grow moss as Mother Nature does it extremely well here on my property already. I just want to know if I ought to remove it for the sake of the perennials, including my dayliles which form long rows on either side of the pathway. Said path has become a solid and beautiful mossway, lol. And the moss has also sited itself randomly and happily around in the actual garden beds.

I have not noticed that the moss is affecting any of the perennials adversely, to be honest, but wonder if it is worth the huge effort of removing. It WILL return, as conditions here are to its liking. The daylily area here is slightly raised for drainage and gets full sun for more than six hours, and they are healthy (altho I really ought to divide the clumps for better blooming).

Thanks for the reply!

Here in the often damp PNW, mosses of all kinds proliferate and thrive. Even through our recurring summer droughts. They grow on anything - the ground, trees, fences, large rocks and boulders. A local botanical garden has an entire area developed as a moss garden. Since mosses are extremely surface rooted, they can coexist with larger plants very well. Even dormant perennials or emerging bulbs in spring will grow right through the moss without issue. Just consider it a soft, spongey groundcover!!

Not all mosses require damp, acidic soil.

Roxanna, it would help if somewhere you listed your location. I suspect that it is in a maritime climate. So many contributors here for some reason don't want to list their location.

As long as your perennials are thriving, co-existing with moss is not an issue ime.

I have areas where perennials and moss co-exist very well together. The moss is beautiful, soft and limits weeds. But the moss also reduces perennials (such as irises and daylillies) from spreading and prevents most seedlings from self-sowers (such as coneflowers). So periodically I do remove some moss to pull it back a bit from each perennial plant to encourage spreading and seedlings.

Thanks to all of you for replies. It's good to know that moss won't really be a problem in my garden beds! =)

I don't really have anything to add, and do think the moss will be fine, but I read the thread title as "Moses---Good or bad..." And yes it was in the voice of Yul Brynner. IFYYK. :o)

Speaking of moss - not Moses @SeniorBalloon - 🤣 - As @gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9) said “Here in the often damp PNW, mosses of all kinds proliferate and thrive.” Moss is the bane of my garden existance. My question is this - would Preen sprinkled over quarter minus gravel pathway prevent growth of that moss plant that has long fingers & blooms? It’s not the pretty brilliant green moss that gives our WA state it’s Emerald State name. If not Preen, something else? I have spot sprayed weed killer but that’s an ongoing task.

Sorry to hijack your thread roxanna but we are talking moss!

Lol, Senior Balloon, I also read the title as "Moses"!!! Twice!

:)

Dee

I have an area with moss in my yard, I used to try to kill it until one day I watched my bluebirds and chickadee's using it for the nests that they were building in the nestboxes. After that I realized how beneficial it was to have in the yard.