Cushion Moss for Sale | Gardens, Terrariums & Events
SILVER-GREEN DOMES THAT READ AS SCULPTURE
Cushion Moss
Leucobryum glaucum · also called pincushion or bun moss
Live cushion moss for sale — the accent species. Rounded colonies for garden mounds, terrarium hills and wedding tables — one species, three live grades, plus a preserved version for zero-care decor.
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YOUR ORDER, SPLIT FOR THE BEST PRICE
Exact shop prices — the split above is the cheapest size combination for your area. Rates fall from $16.95/sq ft at 1 to $7.90 at 1,000.
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What is cushion moss? Cushion moss is the common name for Leucobryum glaucum — also sold as pincushion moss, pin cushion moss, pillow moss, bun moss, and white cushion moss. It grows as round, spongy moss cushions — dome-forming colonies with a distinctive pale minty-green color, and it doubles as a moisture gauge: white or pale when dry, deep green when moist. It is a living plant, not a preserved craft moss, and one of the species in our moss species guide.
Cushion, Mood or Sheet? Pick by the Job
Cushion moss is sculpture: domes that hold their shape and read as small hills. Mood moss clumps are looser and windswept. Sheet moss is the flat carpet between them. Most gardens and dishes use cushion as the accent on a sheet moss ground.
| Cushion Moss | Mood Moss | Sheet Moss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Botanical | Leucobryum glaucum | Dicranum scoparium | Hypnum imponens |
| Role | Domed accents, mounds | Windswept clumps, boulder accents | Flat ground cover |
| Foot traffic | No | No | Yes, the most tolerant |
| 1 sq ft | $22.95 | $21.95 | $13.95 |
| Buy | This page | Buy Mood Moss | Sheet moss, all grades |
Cushion, Pillow or Pincushion Moss? Same Plant
Pillow moss, pincushion moss and bun moss are all common names for the same species, Leucobryum glaucum — the pale, dome-forming cushion moss on this page. Growers, florists and terrarium keepers each use their own name; the plant, the care and the prices are identical.
The synonyms: cushion moss · pillow moss · pincushion moss · pin cushion moss · bun moss · white moss — all Leucobryum glaucum. Live pillow moss for rocks and accents is the landscaping grade below; fresh pincushion moss for terrariums is the hand-cleaned terrarium grade.
Shop cushion mossWhat Each Grade Is For
Accent mounds in shaded beds, along paths and on steep ground it holds well. Ships dry and dormant, deepens to green with misting.
Cushion moss for terrariums — the hills of the landscape. Fresh-cut, pesticide-free and safe around vivarium animals, from a 3.5 inch square at $7.95.
Centerpiece domes and table accents. Ordered against your date, arrives green, holds a full event day, plantable afterward.
Everything on this page is living moss. For wall art, centerpieces that never need water and retail displays, preserved cushion moss keeps the dome shape and color with zero care, from $39 per sq ft.
Where Cushion Moss Works
Sheet moss carries the ground plane; cushion moss creates the features on it. It wants medium to deep shade, acidic soil, and a spot away from the main walking route — and once established it tolerates dry spells better than most shade mosses. The placements below come up again and again in our consultations:
Accent islands on a sheet moss base. The standard recipe: 10–20 sq ft of cushion colonies as visual islands while economical sheet moss fills the rest. One Minneapolis client used exactly this split across an ~80 sq ft strip for an old-world cottage look.
Deep shade under conifers. Beneath hemlock and similar acidic woodland canopies, cushion moss is particularly well matched — the deep-shade, low-pH conditions other plants refuse are exactly what it wants.
Shaded rock gardens. Its pale domes read beautifully against stone — integrate colonies around shaded rock features, clustering smaller cushions around larger ones for a natural colony structure. The pale color provides contrast among darker mosses and stone.
Steep slopes. Cushion moss performs well on steep ground, and a fully nestled colony is a good weed suppressant. For extra anchoring on grades, add Moss Tac.
Generous accent zones. For smaller dedicated areas of 25–50 sq ft, cushion moss can be used more generously than as scattered islands — a continuous field of domes with mood moss worked in for contrast.
With mood moss. Our most recommended pairing: the two share site requirements but differ in color and texture, so mixed colonies look layered and natural rather than uniform. See mood moss.
Straight From Our Consultations
Nestle it in — don't perch it
The most common installation mistake we see: cushions perched on the surface with their sides exposed. The dense sides and interior retain the colony's moisture — tuck each piece into the substrate and cluster smaller cushions around larger ones.
It's a built-in moisture gauge
Cushion moss turns pale minty or white when dry and deep green when moist — a feature, not a fault. Use the color to time your misting instead of guessing, and don't panic at a pale colony.
Brighter than you'd think
In humid, protected sites, cushion moss tolerates limited morning or dappled light — and moderately brighter spots than sheet moss in some installations. Deep shade is still the safest default, and pairing colonies together improves the localized humidity they hold.
Pairs With
Sheet Moss
The flat ground your domes sit on. From $13.95
Cushion Moss Milkshake
Grow more domes from slurry for less
Moss Tac Mini
For terrarium builds. $9.95
Planting and Care by Grade
Landscaping grade
- Prepare like any moss site. Clear competing vegetation and compact the substrate — no compost, no weed fabric. Cushion moss prefers acidic ground, so skip lime treatments nearby.
- Nestle, cluster, water. Tuck each dome in so no sides stay exposed, cluster smaller pieces around larger ones, and keep colonies moist through the first three months. Full anchoring takes about six months.
- Established colonies are tough. Cushion moss tolerates dry spells once established — it propagates easily but grows slowly, so buy the size you want to see rather than waiting on spread.
- Read the color. Pale or white means dry and dormant, deep green means moist and growing. Mist a pale colony and watch it re-green — dry is not dead.
Terrarium grade
- Ships fresh, not dormant. Nestle domes into the substrate to protect their sides, mist on arrival, and keep under bright indirect light — never direct sun through glass.
- In a closed build the humidity does most of the work; mist lightly when the domes pale toward mint.
Events grade
- Store cool and shaded until the event; a light misting keeps the domes deep green through display days.
- Afterward, plant the domes outdoors like landscaping grade — nestled in, misted through establishment. Guests can handle them; the domes hold their shape through a full event day.
Free downloads: plan before you plant
Our full species and installation references, free, no email required: Designing with Moss and the Moss Planting Guide.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cushion Moss
That is a moisture reading, not stress. Leucobryum is pale, minty or nearly white when dry and deep green when moist. Mist it and watch it change within minutes.
No. Cushion moss is an accent species, its domes do not take foot traffic. For walkable ground use sheet moss and keep cushion for the mounds beside the path.
Nothing, they are the same plant. Leucobryum glaucum goes by cushion moss, pincushion moss and bun moss depending on the trade.
Landscaping for garden accents by the square foot. Terrarium for fresh-cut, pesticide-free pieces from a 3.5 inch square. Events when it must arrive green on a date. Preserved when it will never be watered at all.
Set each colony into a shallow depression, press it down firmly so the base makes full contact, and mist daily for the first weeks. It holds well on steep ground and suppresses weeds beneath it.
Both form mounded colonies and share similar site requirements, which is why we often plant them together. Cushion moss (Leucobryum glaucum) makes round, spongy, pale minty domes; mood moss (Dicranum scoparium) is darker, with a windswept, directional texture. Mixed, they read as a natural layered colony.
No. Mosses never produce seeds; they spread by spores and fragments. There are no true cushion moss seeds — the equivalent product is our Cushion Moss Milkshake, a blended slurry of live fragments you pour where you want domes to develop.
The Accent Every Moss Garden Needs
Cut to order in Pennsylvania with guaranteed live arrival. Pick the grade above, or talk it through first.
Where to buy cushion moss — also sold as pillow moss, bun moss or pincushion moss (Leucobryum glaucum) — comes down to freshness: this live pillow moss for sale is cut to order, clumping moss shipped dormant to every state, cushion moss live again minutes after its first misting. Each clump moss piece plants as its own mound.