Irish Moss (Sagina)
Perennial
- The soft ground cover resembles moss, but is a flowering perennial.
- Small, pearl-like flowers bloom in spring.
- Walkable ground cover can handle light foot traffic!
- Great for mass-planting or tucking between stepping stones.
- Zones 4-8, sun/part sun/shade, 1" tall x 12" wide at maturity.
ZONE
EXPOSURE
HEIGHT
Description
Details
Common name: Irish moss
Zone: 4 - 8
Sun exposure: Shade (< 4 hours sun) to sun (+6 hours sun)
Height x width: 1" x 12"
Flower color: White
Foliage color: Green
Season of interest: Spring through fall
Bloom time: Spring
Features: Low flammability, ground covers, deer resistant
Uses: Alpine & rock, container gardening, edging, ground cover, rock garden, small spaces, underplanting.
How to Grow
Light: Shade (< 4 hours sun) to sun (+6 hours sun). Try to avoid hot afternoon sun.
Water: Needs regular watering but should not have soggy roots.
Spacing: 6"- 12"
Fertilizing: Fertilizing is not required unless soils are nutrient depleted or plants appear stressed. An application of slow-release fertilizer can be applied early spring as needed.
Winterizing: For a neat appearance, remove old foliage before new spring growth emerges.
Maintenance & pruning: Easily divided in early spring or fall by separating into smaller pieces.
Plant spacing is based on the ultimate width of the plants. This figure is normally given as a range; for example, 3-5’. If you live in a cold climate and/or want plants to fill in more quickly, plan to space at the shorter end of the range. If you live in a warm climate, are on a limited budget, or are willing to wait longer for plants to touch, use the higher end of the range. Using the larger number is recommended when calculating distance from a building or structure. There’s really no such thing as "maximum spacing": if you don’t want your plants to touch, you can space them as far apart as you’d like. All plant spacing is calculated on center, or in other words, the centers of the plants are spaced one half of their eventual width apart:
Unless you are planting in a straight line, as you might for hedges or edging, space your plants in a staggered or zig-zag pattern for a more interesting and naturalistic look:
Not sure just how many plants will fit in your garden? Our calculator gives you the exact amount of plants required for your space. Simply update the values and the calculator will re-calculate accordingly. Spacing information can be found in the 'How to Grow' tab on each plant's page.
All of them died.
Hello! We are sorry that you had trouble with your plants. You have been refunded, and we apologize for any inconvenience. If you have any other questions or concerns, please reach out to [email protected], and we will try to help in the best way possible. We appreciate your feedback, happy gardening!
I was excited to plant Irish Moss around the stepping stones in my garden. After a few days they started to turn brown, some looked as if they had died. My daughter thinks it may be due to the shock of being transplanted, so my fingers are crossed they'll still be ok.
3 appear to be dying- brown from the center outward. I Hope no more of them do this
Hello! Thank you for your feedback. Irish moss needs really good drainage. This particular spot appears that it might be holding on to water and moisture for too long, which will lead to root rot quickly. We recommend a different spot altogether. However, if you do want to keep the plant in this pot, try lifting it up so it's slightly higher than the ground level, and being careful with the watering. If it stays very wet/muddy for any period of time, it's not going to make it long term. If you have any additional questions, we're always here to help out. You can contact us at [email protected]. Happy Gardening!
Very healthy when it arrived. Just crossing my fingers that it takes where I planted it.
I added this to a newly planted rock garden and it didn’t make it. The other plants in that area are doing well. We’ve had plenty of rain and sunny days yet it still didn’t make it.
We're sorry you're having trouble with your plants. Our team of horticulture experts would love to take a closer look! Please contact us at [email protected] with your order number and photos of the plants so we can better assist you. All orders are covered by our 60-day guarantee. We look forward to helping! https://bit.ly/ggp-guarantee
Healthy plants are living their best lives fe! All are acclimated and healthy!
The packaging was lacking care as the soil seeped out considerably upon opening delivery of item.
Hello! We're sorry you're unsatisfied with your order. Our prices reflect the quality and care we put into each plant, plus the availability of unique selections that can’t often be found in garden centers. To save on your order, watch for different sales and promos throughout the season. If there's an issue with your order, please reach out to [email protected] to start the claims process - your order is covered by our 60-day guarantee!
12 quarts of Irish moss arrived in excellent condition. One began dying very soon afterward but we planted it anyway and it is slowly regrowing. All the moss is absolutely beautiful and healthy. Can’t wait for it all to fill in!
I have been slowly working on a no-mow, pollinator friendly, and neighbor approved lawn for a long time. I started using Irish Moss to accomplish the "lawn" part of this project a couple of years ago. I have ordered plugs and seeds and the process is slow but taking shape. I decided to give this a shot as the 1 quart size seemed appealing. I was blown away. They arrived very quickly and we're of highest quality and health. I now feel like this project will only take a couple more years instead of at least 5. These are planted and the size of the plugs I paid a similar price for a year and a half ago. This will shave a lot of time off of my plans and will fill in and allow me to take plugs a full year sooner than planned.
Trying several types of plants to see what does well in various locations in the yard. So far, this is doing very well.
It arrived really quickly “, and in great condition, I’ve already planted it and it’s been doing great so far.”
They are growing nicely already. I will be ordering more.
On October 14th they were looking great, but they are starting to turn brown. Im not sure what is going on. I hope they don't all die.
Hello! Our team of horticulture experts is always here to help. Please email pictures of the plants to [email protected], making sure to put your order number and name in the subject line so that we may provide the best assistance possible. Rest assured, we have a guarantee on all our plants. Our fall guarantee covers plants received after September 1 until May 2023! If you received your plants within that timeframe, we would happily apply your warranty once we receive the pictures. Happy Gardening!
https://www.greatgardenplants.com/pages/our-guarantee
My moss plants all died =(
Hello! We're sorry to hear that you had some trouble with your Irish Moss. Please email pictures of the plants to [email protected], making sure to put your order number and name in the subject line so that we may provide the best assistance possible. Rest assured, we have a 60-day guarantee on all our plants. If you received your plants within that timeframe, we would be happy to apply your warranty once we receive the pictures. Happy Gardening!
https://www.greatgardenplants.com/pages/our-guarantee
We were very pleasantly surprised at how well our Irish moss began growing and filling in areas so quickly!! We are very optimistic to see what happens next year. Out 5 other ground cover did not do well at all. Unfortunately, 4 died. Sort of hoping some of it may come back next summer, but not too encouraged buy the looks of it now.
Hello! We're happy to hear that your Irish Moss is doing so well, but sorry to hear that your other plants are struggling a bit. We'd be happy to help diagnose any problems that may be happening. Please email pictures of the plant to [email protected], making sure to put your order number and name in the subject line so that we may provide the best assistance possible. Rest assured, we do have a 60-day guarantee on all of our plants. If you received your plants within that timeframe, we will be happy to apply your warranty once we receive the pictures. Happy Gardening!
The plants did not survive. I thought I would get seeds? I wanted seeds. The price is only for one small item.
Hello James!
Reach out to our team at [email protected] and we'll be happy to help you with your dead plants. In regards to seeds, we do not sell seeds, we ship all of our plants as young plants as mentioned on each plant's page. Let us know if you have any other questions or concerns, we're here to help.
All but one died. When I unpacked them, could tell that they were drying out and could only save one.
Hello Ron!
If you ever have any issues with plants you receive from us don't hesitate to reach out to our team right away! It looks like your order is covered by our fall guarantee so please reach out to [email protected] and we'll be happy to help you further.
I think your irish moss plants are good, and the ones I planted from this last spring are mostly just doing great. However the ones I got this fall were delayed in transit by FEDEX for almost 2 weeks and they are REALLY struggling. I hear that I can let you know in May if I need replacements or refund. They are plenty of work to plant so I am not totally happy. Actually I have not had great service with FEDEX, compared to UPS for instance.
It was voluptuous at 1st and I showed it off lots, but even tho I watered it fairly regularly, it has browned down. Will it come back?
Hello Ann!
Reach out to our team at [email protected] with pictures and some information on your plants' location and your care so we can help you further. We look forward to hearing from you!
I have a triangular section of yard that is in constant shade. I thought that this would be a good place for a "shade" plant. I placed 4 of the green Irish Moss in that area in April and throughout the spring and summer hoped that they would take root and grow. My hoping turned into disappointment as all have died. I would not recommend this plant.
Some of the best moss I’ve seen
The plants were extremely small and fragile. A few of them that looked almost dead didn't make it.
Hello Pat!
We're sorry to hear your plants didn't arrive to you in great condition. We offer a 30 day guarantee and are happy to replace or refund plants that die within thier first 30 days in your garden. To start a claim reach out to our team with your order number and pictures at [email protected]. We appreciate your feedback!
I tried to establish this during the summer heat and full Sun and it all died.
Hello John!
We're sorry to hear your Irish moss did not make it. We would not reccomen growing Irish moss in full sun, as it does best in shade (< 4 hours sun) to part-sun (4-6 hours sun), it is not a fan of hot afternoon sun. If you ever have any questions or concerns about your new plants don't hestiate to reach out to our team for help. We offer a 30 day guarantee on all of our plants and are happy to provicde care tips and answer questions on all of our varieties as well. We appreciate your feedback!
The containers were a little large, had to break off pieces of moss to plant. I guess I was hoping for smaller containers, like a six pack. Bad time of year to plant, not doing well at all.
Hello! I'm sorry to see you're dissapointed in the size of your new plants. These plants are offered in a 1-quart container as mentioned on the plant's page. If you're looking for smaller plants for landscaping purposes we would suggest looking at our landscape plug selection!
https://www.greatgardenplants.com/collections/landscape-plugs
Happy gardening!
Unfortunately they didn’t take