How Do You Plant Forget Me Nots

How Do You Plant Forget Me Nots – Like little pieces of bright blue sky in your garden, forget-me-nots are one of the few true-blue flowers available to gardeners.

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How Do You Plant Forget Me Nots

There are about 100 species in the genus and most of these are commonly known as forget-me-not or scorpion grass.

Forget Me Not Seeds

Most species are native to western Eurasia and New Zealand, while only ten species are found growing wild in North America, South America, Africa, New Guinea and Australia.

Although this plant had already been a favorite of French and German gardeners for centuries, it only became popular in British gardens in the 1800s.

, also called woodland forget-me-not, is a biennial native to Europe and parts of southern Asia, including Bhutan, India and Nepal.

It grows in forests, woodlands and rocky places. This species is the most widely cultivated variety and is the main focus of this guide, but some other species have similar growing requirements.

Tips & Information About Forget Me Nots

Tend to crowd out other native plants, it can become a problem when it escapes cultivation in non-native areas, including North America and Australia. with

, known as true or water forget-me-not, is considered an invasive and noxious weed in some Midwestern states.

, also known as alpine forget-me-not, is a short-lived, summer-blooming biennial native to the northwestern states and provinces of the United States and Canada.

This is a beautiful rock garden plant and can be an excellent alternative if the other two species described above are considered invasive in your area.

More Than One Kind Of Forget Me Not: Wildflower Wednesday

According to legend, a drowning knight threw a bouquet of blue flowers to his lover standing on the shore, saying, “Forget me not!” And the name was born.

The pale blue petals were the symbol of King Henry IV when he went into exile and remained his royal symbol after his return.

Residents wear forget-me-not flowers on the first day of July each year to commemorate the deaths of hundreds of their soldiers in France on July 1, 1916.

In the United States in 1921, when there was no program to help returning soldiers, November 10 was designated as National Forget-Me-Not Day and flowers were sold to raise funds for wounded veterans.

Forget Me Not Flowers Are An Appeal For Love And A Longing To Be Remembered

Forget-Me-Not Days, June 5 and 6, are set aside for Alzheimer’s disease awareness and fundraising in New Zealand. Packets of seeds are handed out for planting in honor of the victims.

Most garden forget-me-nots will be biennials, growing from seeds dispersed in late summer and fall, flowering and seed dispersing the following year, and then dying.

They set seed in the heat of summer and self-sow easily, which means they’ll stay in your garden for years if you don’t deadhead them after flowering. The seeds are further dispersed by animals and water.

You can collect seeds from your plants before they spread naturally or buy seeds at your local nursery or online.

How To Grow Forget Me Nots In Pots

Direct-sow your garden in mid-summer. To prepare the soil, loosen the rake and smooth the surface, then water lightly.

Broadcast the seeds on the surface of the soil, or sow them four inches apart. Seedlings appear in the fall and plants bloom the following spring.

Alternatively, you can start seeds in small pots filled with moist soilless medium eight to ten weeks before the last frost.

Keep the pots in a dark, warm place around 64-68°F and make sure the medium stays moist. The seeds will germinate in 14 to 21 days.

Learn How And When To Grow Forget Me Nots From Seeds

Instead of watering from above, place the pots in a water dish to water from below to prevent root rot.

Start hardening off when seedlings have two sets of true leaves. You can choose to transplant immediately after hardening off, or wait until fall to transplant.

Plants transplanted in the spring should bloom the same year, and those planted in the fall will flower the following spring.

Although most plants will only live as biennials, some may live a bit longer as short-lived perennials, depending on the variety and growing conditions.

Silver Falls Seed Company

Divide surviving forget-me-nots every three to five years in spring or early fall after flowering. Carefully dig up the root ball and divide the roots by pulling them apart by hand.

If you buy potted plants from a nursery, set them out in the spring or fall as you would with your own plants grown from seed.

Make sure you choose a spot that is well-drained and moist. Water the container well before planting.

Dig a hole slightly larger than the size of the root ball or container, loosen the soil below the hole, insert the root ball and backfill. Make sure the soil is not too high or touching the base of the stem.

Forget Me Not Seeds

Forget-me-not is not a picky plant and will thrive in zones 3-8. It can tolerate drought but will go dormant in the hottest part of summer after seed set.

Plant in full sun or partial shade. In areas where summers get very hot, make sure the plant gets some shade during the day.

If it is a well-draining site and you keep the soil moist, it can tolerate a wide pH range from mildly acidic to mildly alkaline (6.0-8.0).

Fertilize your plant once a month in the spring and summer, especially if the leaves are turning yellow. Use a fertilizer with a 5-10-10 NPK ratio or similar and apply according to package directions.

Forget Me Not Mixed

Use well-drained soil in a container with good drainage, and keep a close eye on soil moisture when planting in containers and when containers dry out quickly!

Fertilize as you would the soil and allow the plant some shade during the day.

Although these plants don’t require any pruning in the usual sense, a little annual garden maintenance is necessary if you want to prevent their spread.

To avoid putting forget-me-nots in places where you don’t want them to sprout next year, be sure to deadhead them before they bloom.

Forget Me Nots Flowers

As perennials, older plants that survive their second year can be divided to keep them healthy, ensuring they have plenty of room to spread.

Usually bright, varying shades of true blue. However, some pink and white varieties are also available!

Or, if you can’t decide which color to choose, try pink, blue and white together in a small packet or in a mixed collection available in bulk at Eden Brothers.

Part of the Silva series, ‘BlueSilva’ has bright blue flowers with yellow eyes and is a low-spreading biennial with spring and early summer beauty.

Forget Me Not Water 200 Seeds (myosotis Palustris Scorpioides) Heirloo

Blooming with bright white, yellow-eyed flowers from early spring to late summer, this garden is also part of the popular Silva series.

Just in case you need another classic, sky-mirroring forget-me-not cultivar, ‘Victoria Blue’ features tiny, showy flowers on a compact plant.

Compact and sporting lots of small pink flowers with white centers, ‘Victoria Pink’ is an early spring bloomer.

There aren’t many pests that affect forget-me-nots, but there are several diseases to watch out for and try to prevent.

Your Guide To Forget Me Not Flowers

If your plant is infested with aphids, you’ll likely notice white skins or curled leaves as the insects grow before you see the insects.

If your plant is crawling with aphids, try applying this Monterey horticultural oil available at Arabico Organics.

The fungus and becomes a problem in damp conditions or heavy soils, crown rot affects the lower part of the stem and near the soil.

You can recognize crown rot as a brown rot at the soil line, slowly working its way up. It eventually girdles the plant and the leaves begin to die and drop due to lack of water flowing through the stem.

How To Successfully Grow Forget Me Nots

The disease is spread through tools and splashing water, and once crown rot occurs there is little to do but remove and dispose of the entire plant to try to prevent further spread to neighboring plants.

Prevent this disease from infecting your plants in the first place by planting in well-draining soil, watering only when necessary, and making sure the surface of the soil does not touch or pile up with the plant’s stem.

Known as powdery mildew, the disease can also cause yellow spots on plant leaves, eventually leading to complete chlorosis (yellowing of leaves) and leaf death.

If you see white fuzzy spots on the leaves, remove individual leaves before it spreads, or if it’s severely infected, get rid of the entire plant.

Chinese Forget Me Nots Cynoglossum Amabile

To try to prevent, treat or control powdery mildew, you can use an organic product like Zerotol available at Arabico Organics.

Zerotol is a fungicide, algaecide and bactericide that combines hydrogen peroxide and peroxyacetic acid for a safe, effective product that can be used by homeowners and commercial growers.

If you are growing the plant as an annual or biennial, you may decide to remove the plant, but if it is a plant that survives as a perennial in your garden, you may choose to