The java moss in my tank seems to grow at the same rate no matter how much light I give it, however the underlying moss (which didn't receive light before I got my light upgrade) rotted and caused a mess if I didn't maintain it at least once a month. I find I usually have to trim it down every couple of weeks. After 10+ months growing on the wood I placed it on its making some nice patterns on the wood and I can't say I'd ever want to remove it from my tank. Regardless I think its pretty easy to control once its settled into its niche and you have a trimming operation down pat.

Here's a photo gallery of some mosses that I've yet to find locally and refuse to track down and ship to myself on the interwebs.

http://www.aquarminy.yoyo.pl/ang/flora.html

I'm particularly fond of the fissidens, though I think these kinds of mosses will require high light and a steady supply of CO2. They're commonly used in showtanks as they are noticably gorgeous.

A common trick is to use a piece of vinyl or w/e screen weighted down with plant weights if you desire or just partially buried in substrate. (just make sure its inert) Then tie the java moss down to that in whatever shape you wish to cut out. Course you can trim the moss to shape it that way as well. This is one of the easier ways to get it "stuck" to your substrate.

If you have adequate lighting I'd also recommend possibly using fissidens on your driftwood perhaps some dwarf hairgrass (much easier to get than fissidens) on one side and some other sort of carpet plant (micro sword, dwarf baby tears/whathaveyou) on the other and move those cluster of plants at the center foreground to the outer edges leaving a nice space like you're leaving a ''trail'' as Peter Karig would often call it..with a carpet to either side. It's a really nice effect.