Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are crucial for maintaining the ecosystem health and stability in drylands. Although artificial restoration has emerged as a viable strategy for biocrust rehabilitation, the role of vascular plants, which is of great concern in this process, has rarely been studied. This study analyzed the effects of plants (Caragana korshinskii) with four phenotypic traits on the restoration of artificial moss crusts in the Loess Plateau region of China. We monitored the microenvironment under the canopy and measured moss plant density and coverage in the northwest (NW) and southeast (SE) orientations during both artificial cultivation and natural development periods. Our key findings were as follows: (1) Plants significantly reduced wind speed, soil temperature (ST), and soil water loss rate (SMLR) while extending the suitable durations of optimal temperature and moisture conditions for moss growth during daylight hours (p < 0.05). (2) Plant cover promoted moss crust restoration under the canopy, and this degree was related to the phenotypic traits and orientations of the plants. Four months after inoculation, moss plant densities in the NW, SE, and control treatments were 22.9, 14.9 and 7.6 plants·cm^-2, and the corresponding coverage was 57.2%, 27.8%, and 15.0%, respectively. (3) The facilitative effects of plants on moss crusts varied significantly across the different restoration periods (p < 0.05). Compared to the artificial cultivation period, plants showed more pronounced effects on moss restoration during the natural development period, with plant density and coverage increased by 0.4-1.7 times and 0.8-1.5 times, respectively. (4) SMLR and ST were the primary determining factors for moss crust restoration. This study provides novel insights into the relationship between plants and biocrusts. The results highlight the importance of plants for biocrust restoration and offer scientific support for rehabilitation strategies in the shrub-grass communities of dryland ecosystems.