Moss is often considered a weed in grass lawns, but is deliberately encouraged to grow under aesthetic principles exemplified by Japanese gardening.
In old temple gardens, moss can carpet a forest scene.
Moss is thought to add a sense of calm, age, and stillness to a garden scene.
Moss is also used in bonsai to cover the soil and enhance the impression of age.
Rules of cultivation are not widely established.
Moss collections are quite often begun using samples transplanted from the wild in a water-retaining bag.
Some species of moss can be extremely difficult to maintain away from their natural sites with their unique requirements of combinations of light, humidity, substrate chemistry, shelter from wind, etc.