Is anyone else trying either of these? The Scleranthus uniflorus is wonderful, so vividly green, looks like a moss although the label says it isn't a true moss. It looks like a more compact and even shorter Irish Moss, and the label reads: "it is far more tolerant of drought and sun" [than Irish Moss]. It seems to blend into itself when planted in groups, very quickly. The question is how it will do over winter... so far it is very ornamental. Another groundcover which has done beautifully, remains tight and compact, is a soft green, with tiny leaves, faintly grey-green, and spreads [but less vigorously than Blue Star Creeper] is very very tiny and has tiny star-like yellow flowers on it at the moment -- and is one which I have not seen for sale in my area [Victoria and Saanich, BC] for the past two years, although during a wonderful 2006 multi-nursery offering of groundcovers here I was able to purchase and try it: Hypericum empetrifolium nanum, "St. John's Wort" [not the regularly seen St. John's Wort, for sure]... has anyone tried this one?
Update in January 2010 -- the Scleranthus uniflorus or New Zealand Moss did not survive the cold temperatures of December 2009 and in fact started to decline in the autumn of 2009... too bad, it was a beautifully decorative carpet for a garden. It will be interesting to see if it is shown again this year. The Hypericum empetrifolium nanum, or dwarf St. John's Wort, does get a bit brown in areas in cold temperatures [not at its best at this moment -- from the December cold spell] but comes back firmly as Spring arrives and is being sold already in a nursery here as Hypericum empetrifolium ssp. oliganthum, Dwarf Hypericum.
