How to Landscape With Spanish Moss

Acquire living Spanish moss from a landscape. Either pick up clumps of the bromeliad lying on the ground after a windstorm or tear long strands from the drooping clumps from oak trees. Place the plants in a bucket, box or tray and place it in the trunk, not in the cabin, of a car or truck as spiders and insects may hide in the silvery green leaves.

Set up an A-frame ladder to access the branches of a tree or tall shrub in your garden. A deciduous or evergreen tree with broad branching makes an ideal location for Spanish moss, but avoid trees that become deciduous in summer or are in dry, windy locations.

Pull apart the clumps of Spanish moss into manageable strands at least 18 inches long. There's no need to separate into individual thin, weak strands, but a nice, attractive clump that resembles a young girl's ponytail works well.

Hang the Spanish moss over a branch in the partially shady parts of the tree, such as an oak, small pine, bald cypress or Southern magnolia or in a sturdy shrub like a camellia, frangipani, osmanthus or ligustrum. Break up the strands if the first hanging is too heavy and doesn't stay or bends branches down excessively. For traction, you may need to wrap the thin strand around the branch once so it clasps firmly and is resistant to strong winds.

Evenly drape the Spanish moss strand clumps across the tree branches. Move the ladder to give you better access. If the bromeliad grows well, it flowers and drops seeds that may root and sprout on lower branches or nearby trees. Try to get some Spanish moss as high up into the branches as is safely possible.

Save some strands of moss to drape on patio plants with an open, branching structure that would display the bromeliad nicely. You can pull off and relocate Spanish moss across the garden. String some strands from hanging flower baskets or any orchid pots or baskets brought outdoors in summer.