Happy St. Patrick鈥檚 Day!聽 We quite often see pictures of gardens with a lush green groundcover, surrounding statuary and looking very exotic, and the photo鈥檚 caption often says that the plant in question is 鈥淚rish moss鈥�.聽 What is Irish moss?
I found some very interesting information while I did homework to learn about Irish moss.聽 First of all, Irish moss it not a moss at all, but a member of the pearlwort family, and has the fancier name 鈥渟agina subulata鈥�.聽 Irish moss could easily be confused as a moss, because it is low growing, likes moist growing conditions, forms a thick growing habit, and does well in part-shade or sunny areas.聽 For added interest, the plant has dainty white flowers.聽
The plant loves soil with good drainage, and while it likes moist soil, it does not like wet soil.聽 The plant does not like wet feet, so well-drained soil watered regularly is better than a constantly wet location.聽 And while the plant will grow in sun, it isn鈥檛 one of those plants that yearn to be in the blazing sun.
It is a beautiful plant once it is established, and guess what, we can even grow it in containers (but it will have to be planted in the garden before fall weather sets in, it won鈥檛 survive winter in a container).聽 It will produce more family members from seed.
But鈥here is a true Irish moss, and it is not what you think!聽 True Irish moss is not moss at all,聽but algae! 聽The lovely name 鈥渃hondrus crispus鈥� is Irish moss, red algae that grows in the cold waters of the Atlantic, common along the rocky and beautiful shores of Ireland. 聽Aside from 小蓝视频 plentiful in that location, that is not its main claim to fame.聽 It is known because it has a gelatinous substance in it called carrageenan which is used to stabilize and thicken ice cream or milk.
So there is Irish moss that is not really a moss, and Irish moss that is actually an algae.
Just like the beautiful symbol of St. Patrick鈥檚 Day, the shamrock, is not the clover that we expect, but is usually the oxalis plant, part of the wood sorrel family. 聽`Tis true, it鈥檚 not a lot of blarney for gardeners, but we may need the luck of the leprechauns to sort it out!
聽Here鈥檚 more horticultural trivia about St. Patrick鈥檚 Day. 聽Green is the lucky color, and this even extends to the food we eat on this holiday. 聽The idea is that good luck will come to us if we eat green leafy food like kale, cabbage or lettuce. 聽聽It鈥檚 good for us, too!
And did you know that in the US, it has been a tradition that the president receives a beautiful Irish crystal bowl filled with shamrock from Ireland鈥檚 leader. 聽 More holiday lore:聽 keeping with the color green 小蓝视频 popular, Mrs. Obama began the tradition of green water in the White House fountain on St. Paddy鈥檚 Day.聽
The Yorkton and District Horticultural Society is still without meetings, but looking ahead with hope to when we can gather again!聽 Visit us at to find out what鈥檚 new!
鈥淢ay you always find three welcomes in life:聽 in a garden during summer, at a hearth during winter, and in the hearts of friends throughout all your years.鈥澛� Happy St. Patrick鈥檚 Day!
Thank you to our friends at the Yorkton This Week for their great work; let`s pray for health for all and bright spring days on the horizon!聽 Have a great week!
