Frozen Moss

It was 12 degrees here yesterday morning but by 2 in the afternoon, the temp was around 25 degrees and I was stir-crazy so I left the house to hunt for teeny cushion moss. All of a sudden, these things are HOT, HOT! I've started selling to people building fairy gardens and they are loving those little buggers!
After about 10 minutes in the woods, I learned the value of carrying a pocket knife. Those mosses were frozen solid in the ground. Back to the house I went and got the knife. That worked like a charm! In fact, they looked better than usual when I arrived home and they were thawed out. So off I go today to get some more with my knife in hand and lots of little zippy bags. Look for a bunch to be listed on all sites this afternoon!

A Frigid Morning!

Really cold here this morning - about 10 degrees with a wind-chill of -5. Not my favorite weather!
Today I will be taking inventory and listing. We are supposed to be back up near 50 by Friday and I plan on
hiking a lot down at the lake. There are so many interesting varieties down on that lake!
My goal this weekend is to find Rhodobryum Roseum aka Rose Moss, I think it's one of the most beautiful mosses on the planet. Perfect for terrariums and fairy gardens! When it's sporing the centers turn black. Just gorgeous!

Vivariums

I sell lots of mosses to customers who are building vivariums. Nearly all have frogs and are really excited about their creations. Below are some pics from one of my customers in Miami. She purchased sphagnum moss from me and we have been emailing back and forth. It's wonderful when you become friends with your customers and  it's great for me because I can glean a lot of information from people like Ashley. I know a lot about moss but not a lot about frogs. I also have learned what my Viv customers are looking for that are hard to find. It's great information for building a business!

Ferns

I'm getting lots of messages from my customers requesting ferns. I know a lot about mosses. More than the average person. But when it comes to ferns, I know very little. There are 3 main varieties of ferns that grow on my land. One is a maidenhair, one is "the big one" and the other is "the tiny one". I've sent out young maidenhair ferns to a dear customer in Miami for her vivarium. I will find out today how they are doing. If they are doing well, then I will identify the other two varieties and proceed from there. Chances are, these will not be readily available until Spring. We have been very fortunate here so far this winter. The temps have been higher than normal and the ground is still very soft. But if the weatherman is correct, that will all change tomorrow and looking ahead, overnight temps will be below freezing for the next 10 days. The ground will start to freeze. That will not affect harvesting moss which have no roots but it will affect plants that need to be dug.
Today I will be harvesting Partridge vines and a sampling of the ferns. I would like to send some ferns to a couple of my vivarium customers as a test run. I want to see how they do in shipment and after planting. Specifically, how long it takes before you see new growth. I would like to ship some to the west coast, the upper midwest and to the deep south.
Email me at ebedford4@aol.com if you are interested.