Decorating Tips, DIY

How Long Does Preserved Moss Last? And How To Keep It Fresh!

Preserved moss adds a touch of natural beauty to homes and crafts, but one of the most common questions is: how long does it actually last? And, more importantly, how can you make it last? In this post, I’ll break down the lifespan of preserved moss, explore the factors that affect its longevity, and share simple tips and tricks to keep it fresh and vibrant for years to come. Let me show you how I refresh moss that has faded with time!

I’m starting to pull out my stored Spring and Summer decor, and some of my preserved moss pieces need a little refresh. See how easy it is to make them look brand new.

Thrift Store birdhouse with moss and tree bark makeover for easy transformation.

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Moss Branches and Spheres in white ironstone vessel on kitchen island for Spring Decoratiing

How Do You Use Preserved Moss?

One of the most common uses for preserved moss is around floral and greenery arrangements. I like to keep a supply of this moss on hand for my many projects. It’s perfect for covering over the styrofoam or other elements that are holding the arrangement together. It looks great without requiring any special care.

Moss is an inexpensive way to create fascinating home decor and is easy to work with. See some of my favorite projects under related articles. You can see two different ways to use these DIY topiaries and these boxwood topiaries.

Moss used to fill pots around plants for DIY Topiary Projects

Indoors, the natural green color of the moss will look great for years.

You can also purchase sheet moss, and that’s what I used on these Shamrock Placemats for St. Paddy’s Day!

Sheet Moss is great for DIY Projects like Shamrock Placemats for St. Patrick's Day Tablescape.

I also have several moss balls that I use in my decor, such as those that I used on my porch last year.

The large moss balls began to fade quickly when exposed to the sun, but never fear; I’m going to share how to freshen them.

Moss Spheres on Front Porch are great for decorations in Spring and summer.

How Long Does Preserved Moss Last?

The answer is many years when used indoors, away from direct sunlight. It may need a careful dusting, but it will look great for years.

I have had this moss piece for at least 20 years, and it still looks great.

How Long will Preserved Moss last - this topiary is over 20 years old and looks great.

At the time I purchased this piece, I also bought this topiary. However, it’s been exposed to sunlight on my screened porch.

faded topiary can be revived with food coloring.

If you like the brown moss, it’s still great to use, but if you prefer the green color, there is a solution.

How to Freshen Preserved Moss

This is such an easy solution to prolong the life of your moss pieces and keep them fresh-looking.

All you need is:

Items us prolong life of preserved moss - gren food coloring and spray bottle with water.

First, prepare a place to spray your moss or spray outdoors. The food coloring will stain if not removed immediately from surfaces.

Mix a small amount of water, approx. 1/2 cup with 4-5 drops of green food coloring and shake to mix.

If you have several projects, you can increase the quantities.

Spray the moss with the solution until the entire area is green again.

Spray greenery with food coloring to make it last longer

Once covered, be sure to catch any drips with paper towels.

How to Keep Preserved Moss Fresh and How long will preserved moss last tips for refreshing with food coloring

The container is covered with preserved leaves and the food coloring method worked great for this as well.

The preserved leaf base can also be revived with food coloring.
Leaves covering clay pot are revived and look new with green food coloring.

Almost New Preserved Moss

The moss may not look as fresh as it did 20 years ago, however it looks so much better.

Topiary looks new after reviving with green food coloring.

These moss balls were also refreshed with the green food coloring.

Moss spheres are no longer faded after adding green food coloring to revive them.

I love using preserved moss in my decor. This book club table centerpiece is filled with balls of moss that I’ve refreshed with this technique.

I wish I had a link to the moss stems, but they were purchased several years ago at Pier 1 Imports, and they no longer sell floral stems.

Book Club Brunch Tablescape filled with preserve moss balls and vintage cheese board with old books & brass birds.

Here, I used the preserved moss balls on the front porch sitting area for Spring. However, I will bring them indoors after I don’t have guests to prolong their lovely green color.

concrete angel with moss spheres and thrifted basket with lilacs on front porch for Spring

FAQ

First, preserved moss is real. It’s harvested from forests and grows naturally around trees and on the ground. The moss is put through a preservation process to retain its softness and natural color.

If you prefer a natural-looking green moss, you always want to choose preserved vs. dried moss. As the name suggests, dried moss has been dehydrated and will quickly turn brown and not last as long as preserved moss.

Yes, you can refresh faded artificial moss with this same technique with equally good results.

Yes, however, boxwood isn’t as absorbent as the moss and may require multiple applications to achieve the same result.

Paint will dry hard compared to the food coloring and will not look as natural. The wrong mixture could damage the moss and make it look fake.

The gel food coloring works best mixed with solids and may not mix as well with water; therefore, your safe bet is the liquid.

Resources

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Shop moss decor and craft supplies

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope you found this helpful.

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concrete angel with moss spheres and thrifted basket with lilacs on front porch. How To keep preserved greenery looking fresh.
Easy and inexpensive DIY to preserve moss decor.How To keep preserved greenery looking fresh.
How to freshen moss and update tired looking moss decor.

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27 Comments

  1. What an inspirational post Rachel. I am definitely going to try this. I have so much moss right outside my laundry room that I snag every time I need some. It’s pretty convenient.

    Reply

  4. thanks so much for sharing this. I have a few pieces that could benefit from a food coloring shower! We’d love for you to come by and link up at All About Home this evening. Happy 1st week of March!!

    Reply

  5. I totally needed this post! Such great ideas. Featuring this on Farmhouse Friday tomorrow. Thank you for linking up!

    Reply
  6. Pingback: Farmhouse Friday 244 - County Road 407

  9. This is such a great idea. I wish that I had read this post last week as I was trying to refresh some topiaries. I would love to share this on my newsletter next week. Hugs to you.

    Reply

  10. I’m wondering if you couldn’t use watered down acrylic paint as an alternative if you wanted a brighter green. What do you think? It never occurred to me I could freshen up moss. I just bought new and composted the old. Now I know, thanks!

    Reply

  12. Rachel, another ‘trick’ I’ve used with large sheets of fading moss is to
    make solution of ‘green food coloring/water’ in a small tub and soak the sheet
    in solution; a bit drippy when lifting out but works for larger projects

    Reply

  14. Thankyou so much for this info on how to refresh dried boxwood. I have 2 small wreaths that have turned tarnish after sun exposure.
    Can’t wait to try the food coloring spray on these as well as some moss orbs I have had for many years.

    Reply

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