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♪♪

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(birds chirping)

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[DARREN STRENGE]
I always had a

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special interest in moss.

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There's always been something

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something
alluring about it to me.

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I think has to do with its
primeval nature.

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I guess you could call it
a garden underdog.

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I think it's it's
one of those things

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that people don't
go to the nursery

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to buy a new moss
for their garden.

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They want the showy flowers,
the pretty tree.

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♪♪

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In the moss garden, one of the

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maybe not so obvious themes,
is in some respects time.

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That's why when a tree
falls in the moss garden,

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we try to incorporate it
as part of the moss garden.

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We have about 50 species
of mosses

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that we know of here.

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Probably one of the most
common is Menzies’ tree moss.

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Let’s see if we can pull out.

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It's called tree moss because
it's got a trunk like a tree.

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Then the leaves at top,

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kind of like
a small palm tree.

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I would say
every moss is my favorite

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moss, but this is definitely
one of my favorite mosses.

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(car honks)

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[KELLY BRENNER]
Once you

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broach the world of moss,
it’s just this an endless fascination

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because just a tuft of moss

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is entire world
to a whole host of organisms

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that are microscopic.

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It’s literally like

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an entire world in just one
tiny clump of moss.

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So I am sitting up here
on top of my garage roof

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because this is where
all the moss grows.

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And I'm going to

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collect some of this,
these clumps of moss.

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I take that moss

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and then I soak it in water.

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The next day,

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I squeeze the water out

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and then I
look under the microscope.

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And usually what I'll find
are a whole host of organisms

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like Tardigrades,

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which can survive in space.

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Rotifers, which also can

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survive in space,
but they're not as cool looking.

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Every clump of moss
is like going on

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an entire wildlife
safari, right.

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Just from my own rooftop,

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with all the different organisms that live inside of it.

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I'm a wildlife gardener,

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which means I'm
a very lazy gardener.

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So I don't fight moss.
I embrace it.

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I don't actively
try to grow it, but I don't

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discourage it either.

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So out on my tree, there's
moss growing all at the side.

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I have a great stairway

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going to the basement

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where I've let
all the moss grow.

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And it's just beautiful.

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There’s little ferns
growing out of it now

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and it's
just a little tiny garden

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growing in our
in our basement stairwell.

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[DARREN STRENGE] The moss in itself can be
a specimen, so to speak.

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They can have open areas
with moss.

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They can have rocks
that are mossy.

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It looks better than bare
rocks.

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Just adds
a lot in terms of softness

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and greens and texture

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and just makes the whole
area look a lot more natural.

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[KELLY BRENNER] 
Living in the city can be very

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disconnecting from nature,
but here we have

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a whole ecosystem
that you can preserve

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and observe and

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and care for and just be
completely fascinated by.

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If we just let nature

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exist just a little bit in
our yards and our buildings.

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♪♪