Arenaria 'Wallowa Mountains' Mossy Sandwort

I've had my eye on this Arenaria 'Wallowa Mountains' aka Mossy Sandwort aka Desert Moss since December. I love the photos of it creeping over rocks like a bright green moss blanket in full sun. It's exactly what I want spilling over the rocks in my south facing backyard. I ordered mine back in February and it was sold out online by the middle of March.

Of course it looks fabulous in marketing photos, but I haven't seen many close ups or photos showing the young or just-bought plant. I also noticed that there are basically the same photos being recycled over and over - so I thought I'd tag the hell out of this post and hopefully people looking for it will find what they can expect.

This 2 square inch chunk of Arenaria Wallowa Mts was $8.99 from High Country Gardens, whew! I knew it shipped in a 2.5" deep pot but I guess it's just smaller when you actually get to look at it. I hope it grows quick and fills in the space around my rocks.

It came in very desert-y gravel-y soil, so instead of putting it in my Indiana clay, I dug out a trough and filled it with about 2 inches of succulent potting soil about 15 inches wide. Hopefully that gives it some well-draining soil and room to spread.

I'm a little nervous about growing it in Indiana, but I was reassured after seeing a photo of it thriving in Wisconsin.

Ready, set, grow! Let's get going!

I can picture this as a lawn replacement in California, especially considering their new water restrictions

Unpacking my mail order plants. They came all the way from Colorado in about 4 days.