I've been growing moss in my yard and woods for the last several years. It started with moss in the lawn on the north side of my house where grass wouldn't grow, so I started nurturing and transplanting the moss until I now have a nice thick moss lawn there. It has taken the better part of 10 years to cover completely. About 3 years ago I started transplanting it in patches along my woods paths, and the banks of my dry creek. It is filling in nicely and takes quite a bit of traffic, tho I do put down stepping stones to take the pressure off. I just transplant it; from the woods in spots, from a local nursery where it is growing everywhere and they just scrape it off and toss it; sidewalks, areas where they are going to bulldoze, etc. Many different kinds. It all needs good contact with bare soil, so I scrape the area clean and put the patches down , pressing it firmly. I've not lost very much, keeping it damp until it adheres firmly, then let nature take its course. I try to make sure it has the same kind of exposure where it was originally grow, i.e. sunny area moss in sunny places, shady or wet area moss correspondingly. I also pick up stones and small logs with moss for the woods. The only real problems I've had are squirrels and birds stealing it. They constantly pull up patches that I have to be vigilant in putting back down. If it is thin sheet moss sometimes I have to put a rock or two on it to keep it from being stolen by the birds for their nests. But I've noticed the more they scatter the bits, the more moss grows. Also, seems like the more moss I transplant, the more it spreads by spores. Some of it grows pretty fast and will cover a large area in no time, some is really slow. I've had a lot of fun with it. Here is a link that might be useful: Welcome to Chaos

Mike, you ask a lot of questions, I can give you answer only from my point. I would have done differently my garden if I knew more about Japanese gardens 25 years ago or if I would stay in this house forever, I mean until I die. Very few people are so perfectionist regarding Japanese gardens, as you are. I appreciate everything you post here because I learn from it. Not nececeraly can I follow the advise. I can't create a "Japanese garden", only something what has many features of a Japanese garden. I don't feel if something is not correct the way I've done it or as I tried to copy from a book. I realised it when I've seen a small, crowded garden on a very difficult location built by a Japanese man for himself. It was perfect, peaceful, everything I wanted to accomplish. He had "only" one lantern made from rocks put together, it wasn't the lantern what made his garden authentic, but every rock, moss, plants HOW IT WAS PUT THERE. I can't have that knowledge from books or classes. But get back to your questions. I would attend a class locally ( I live in a big city), few hours or half day even for a week. I wouldn't attend classes what are for professional gardeners or their staff. I would be interested in design, pruning, different fences, working with bamboo, using rocks, placing rocks with plants, wider selection on plants. I don't have the space, resources and 20-30 more years to create a perfect Japanese garden. But still like to read about it, collect more and more books about it just to enjoy them. I was very tempted to order a book from Amazon, The Modern Japanese Garden from Shunmyo Masuno, just to see what is the difference between the traditional and modern design other than size, but was too expensive from the Canadian Amazon. Andrea

A great many plants expand with time.......like most perennials and the vast majority of ornamental grasses. But that is very different from your statement that it "needed to be containerised or it will go everywhere! " It doesn't and it won't :-) I've grown various Fargesias and other clumping bamboos myself and also use them in garden designs. They do not get any more unruly than a big clump of Miscanthus. And with far less chance of any seeding around.

Elena, Name of dwarf cherry? Interesting-pretty Japanese tree! . I have a few cherry trees… Kwanzan, Wowza Cherry, Weeping Cherry, Okame Ch blossom trees. My Okame tree is 2 1/2 years old. I olanted it in Aug, 2nd, but trunk died over winter except 6 inches left above ground. So I grew another trunk & tree branched out now at 7-8 feet-looks very hardy now. I hope this spring to have blooms finally. I will keep pruning it small in width at 6 ft, because it is next to a rose garden bed .