My search for moss and other terrarium plants

I had a chance to custom make a terrarium this week for a lady celebrating her 50th birthday.  My greatest challenge was finding moss where we are.  I have tried buying it online but the people I contacted and ordered from (Australian Orchid Nursery) did not even bother to acknowledge / reply to my email (with my order).  No idea why but I might phone them instead to see what the story is. I was hoping to have moss to use for this particular one, big disappointment. 

I was lucky when I first started making my first few bottles to find moss growing in our garden under the palm trees.  I have started growing them in plastic containers but they are of course slow growers.  There's just not enough from the little patch we had.  During summer they actually die down,  only see them during winter.   I have used the lot apart from the ones I am growing in containers.  I'm only learning to propagate them at the moment.

My last alternative was to check one of the very few nurseries in town not hoping to find moss but to find selaginella  and or Irish/Scottish moss at least.  Bunnings and Masters do not have them nor do the other garden centres I have been too.   I decided to try my luck at Calligan's Nursery.  It was raining (our first after winter) but that didn't stop me from checking out the plants at their nursery.  I went around more than twice checking all the rows of plants hoping to find something I could use or hoping that I missed it the first time.  There was none, with my shoulders down I headed out.  But just before I got to the exit, I saw hidden behind taller plants a tray of Irish moss (about six punnets) and a few Scurpus or Fairy Lights. 

Remembering how hard it has been finding the right plants for my terrariums made me take the whole tray.  At the counter I also spotted on one of the vases on display at the store a pot of Selaginella.  The lady said it was their last one and I can have it if I want it.  A bit pricey but I have not seen any in Mackay for the past few months I've been looking. 

This is going to be the challenge for me, finding enough supplies of plants and moss especially.  I often remember  home (New Zealand) and the walk to the little Niagara Falls in Victoria BC, CA where every tree was covered in thick moss.  In contrast, t's just too dry where we are.  The only place I've seen moss around is in one of the running waters at the Botanical garden; unfortunately it's illegal to collect them from there or from any other state forest/parks//wildlife. In this very dry region, it would be almost impossible I presume to find any from privately owned land.  It's a challenge indeed!  But one I hope I can overcome.