Out of the ordinary

When we moved to our house ten years ago, much of the south side of the garden was flanked by an enormous, wide Cupressocyparis leylandii hedge. I think the previous owner had been trying to protect their privacy from viewers in the six-storey brewery tower, less than 50 metres away. Wishing to experience sunlight outside of June and July, we decided - after several minutes of consideration - to open our lives to the visiting public, and take it away. Or have it taken away, rather - this was not a job for amateurs

One consequence of its other-worldly perpetual shade was that much of our garden, particularly the stone walls, is coated with moss, which is rather lovely. We feared that the downside of the new enlightenment would be the banishment of denizens of darkness like moss. It certainly does suffer in summer but so far, bounces back in the other seasons and - the droughts and extreme heatwaves of recent summers notwithstanding - there is still a lot of it

This bit is looking cheerful. Even in the fading late afternoon of a dull day, with the temperature dropping ready for tomorrow's blast of winter, it was glowing as if lit by an inner luminescence. It is confident enough to have a go at reproduction, the red stalks with nodding green heads being fruiting bodies, preparing to release reproductive spores and grow more moss

Extraordinary, you might think but, unless I'm mistaken, the correct common name for this type of moss is 'Ordinary Moss'. Opinions may differ