How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Forget-Me-Not Flower
The forget-me-not flower is a very popular feature in ornamental gardens and a great pollinator lure. Kaleigh Brillon will share the growing guide and care tips for these rewarding flowers.
Contents
The forget-me-not flower is pretty unforgettable. Those dainty blue (or sometimes pink or white) flowers sure do make a garden look its best! However, some people can’t forget them because they spread like crazy and quickly become invasive! If you’re not careful with the beautiful blooms of forget-me-nots, you’ll find yourself wishing you could forget.
If you have bad luck with keeping plants alive, you may want to welcome this relentless flower into your empty flower beds. Forget-me-nots are easy to care for when they get enough water. One thing to note about this flower is its status where you live. There are a few different varieties of them, and some of them are listed as invasive or noxious weeds. Be sure you’re not introducing a problem into your area.
The woodland forget-me-not, or Myosotis sylvatica, is the least problematic forget-me-not of the bunch that we’ll spend some time looking at today. There are many other varieties you can find in North America that may or may not be a problem where you live. Let’s look at how to care for these beauties!
Forget-Me-Not Flower Overview
Plant Type
Herbaceous flowering annuals or perennials
Family
Boraginaceae
Genus
Myosotis
Species
Myosotis sylvatica, Myosotis scorpioides, Myosotis alpestris, Myosotis latifolia, Myosotis secunda
|
Native Area
North America, Asia, Europe, Africa, Australasia
Exposure
Full sun to partial shade
Height
6-12”
Watering Requirements
Regular
|
Pests & Diseases
Aphids, crown rot, downy mildew, potato flea beetles, leaf spot, powdery mildew, rust, slugs, snails
Maintenance
Low
Soil Type
Well-draining, rich
Hardiness Zone
3-8
|
What is Forget Me Not?
The forget-me-not flower grows well in the northern hemisphere in temperate areas. Many gardeners grow these them as annuals, but depending on their location’s climate, they can be grown as perennials or biennials.
Native Area
Most species are native to Europe and Asia, although the alpine forget-me-not (Myosotis alpestris) is native to North America. Many European and Asian varieties have naturalized in the US and rooted themselves as invasive species that can spread rapidly and choke out native plants, which is why many people consider forget-me-not flowers to be problematic.
Characteristics
Forget-me-nots have clusters of small flowers that are usually blue, but they can also be pink or white. The flowers produce many seeds, so they’re likely to reseed themselves, meaning that if a plant can’t come back on its own, you’ll probably see new one in early spring of next year.
Varieties
Before you add forget-me-nots to your garden, do some research to find out which kinds won’t be a problem in your area. Here is a list of the more common varieties of forget-me-not.
Myosotis sylvatica
The most common forget-me-not you can find in many gardens is the woodland forget-me-not or Myosotis sylvatica. This one isn’t considered as invasive as the other species, but it still doesn’t have a perfect track record! This kind of forget-me-not is more often than not blue, grows up to a foot tall, and prefers moist soil.
Myosotis scorpioides
Myosotis scorpioides is the true forget-me-not, but it’s not treated as such because it’s considered a noxious weed throughout most of the US. The true forget-me-not looks similar to the woodland forget-me-not, but you can tell them apart because the true forget-me-not is naturalized in wet areas around the Great Lakes and hasn’t spread elsewhere.
Myosotis alpestris
The alpine forget-me-not, Myosotis alpestris, is native to the northwestern part of North America. It’s Alaska’s state flower and can be found throughout the western parts of Canada and as far south as Oregon. It’s limited to high altitudes with cool temperatures, and since it’s a native plant, so it’s unlikely for it to be considered invasive.
Those who want to grow forget-me-nots may consider this type first. You can tell this one apart from the others by the calyx tube hairs, which is the green part connected to the flower blooms. The alpine hairs are hooked or curled while other species are straight.
Myosotis latifolia
Myosotis latifolia is the broadleaf forget-me-not. It’s native to western Africa, and usually in the United States, it is only found on the western coast of north and central California. It gets its name from the broad leaves at the base of the plant. The leaves and the woody stems are how you can easily identify these forget-me-not plants.
Myosotis secunda
Myosotis secunda, the creeping forget-me-not, is also native to Europe, but this one is hard to find in the US. It grows in wetlands like rivers, swamps, and other freshwater pools. Unlike other forget-me-nots, it grows long stems with single flowers growing from points on the stem. If the stem is in contact with the soil, it’ll develop roots and continue growing. As you can imagine, this one can easily become invasive since it can freely root as it pleases! If you want to grow forget-me-not, you might consider another variety.
Planting
Grow forget-me-not flowers from seeds. Sow seed in the ground in spring one to two weeks before the average last frost or when the soil warms up. In warmer climates, sow in early fall for early spring bloom the following season.
Sow seed in trays four to six weeks before transplanting outside. The seed will germinate in five to ten days. Thin out the seeds when they are two inches tall to give them a six- to eight-inch space between plants.
Make sure the soil is nutrient rich and well-draining. Add extra organics materials like compost when preparing the soil for growing.
How to Grow
Once your forget-me-nots are established in a place where they can get the right sun, water, and nutrients, you won’t have to do much to keep them alive! Let’s take a look at what you need to do to start growing forget-me-nots and get these flowers thriving in your garden.
Light
Forget-me-not flowers like full sun or partial shade, depending on where they are. In warm climates, they’ll prefer afternoon shade. In cool climates, getting at least six hours of direct light will be crucial to keep them happy.
Water
Ensuring your forget-me-nots have plenty of water is crucial to keeping them alive and thriving. While the woodland variety can tolerate some drought, these need plenty of water – especially in hot summers – to keep their blue flowers happy. One rule of thumb is to keep the soil moist.
You can check the soil with your finger to see when it’s time to water. Forget-me-nots need a drink when the top two inches of soil is dry. Water them at the base of the plant and let them drink until those top two inches is moist again. The flowers can tolerate wet soil, but standing water is never a good thing, so be sure you plant them in well-drained soil. If you’re growing them in a container, it’s important to have drainage holes at the bottom.
We recommend watering in the early morning so the water can have a chance to soak into the ground before the sun comes out and evaporates everything. Try to avoid getting the leaves wet to prevent the spread of disease.
You won’t need to water as often when it’s rainy or when they are dormant in the winter. You may need to water once or twice a month in the early fall and winter, but a good shower may allow you to skip watering for an entire week.
Soil
You can grow forget-me-nots almost anywhere since they’re not too picky about the type of soil they put their roots in. Regardless of your soil, you should add organic matter like decaying leaves or compost to give them extra nutrients. If your soil is poor quality, this will be a crucial step to making them look their best.
Above all else, make sure the soil is well-draining so they won’t be sitting in a puddle of water. Most varieties can tolerate wet or soggy soil, and creeping forget-me-nots are a ground cover native to wetlands, but wet soil isn’t something you should have in your garden if you can help it.
Temperature
It’s possible to go about growing forget-me-nots in USDA zone 3-8. Some varieties, like alpine with its blue flowers, will be happier in the cooler zones, while others, like woodland, grow better in warmer zones. All forget-me-not flowers don’t like too much sun and will go to seed and die once temperatures get consistently hot in the summer. Therefore, partial shade is essential in areas where early summer and late summer are hot.
Many varieties can tolerate cool temperatures and may even survive over winter, but saving forget-me-not seeds for next year, or letting plants drop their seeds, are the best ways to make sure you’ll see more blooms. As we’ve mentioned, this is one of the easiest parts of growing forget-me-nots.
Fertilizing
If you plant forget-me-nots in nutrient-rich soil, fertilizers will be next to unnecessary. You can refresh the soil with compost once or twice a year to give your flowers an extra boost, but that’s about all you’ll need for these easy-to-please plants.
If the soil isn’t the best, fertilizing will be necessary. Especially with potted forget-me-nots, a layer of high-quality compost periodically throughout the growing season should suffice, but you can also use water-soluble or granule fertilizers. Fertilize in early summer and late summer. Nitrogen is responsible for encouraging foliage growth, so if you’re adding fertilizer later in the growing season, a low nitrogen option will be best so your plants can focus on making flowers.
Maintenance
You only need to prune forget-me-nots if they’re spreading rapidly or they’re not visually appealing to you. Where many species occur, they’ll spread naturally. It’s technically only necessary to prune the hairy stems of this flowering plant if a disease is spreading through your flower bed. So, you may never need to prune!
Remove spent flower heads before they drop seeds to the soil surface to prevent self-seeding. If you want to get rid of entire plants, you can uproot them completely or cut stems at the base.
Propagation
Forget-me-not seeds are pretty much the only way they propagate, and you’re sure to have an endless supply of them once you get a few established!
True forget-me-nots have rhizomes that you can separate and propagate that way. Creeping forget-me-nots develop roots at different points on the stems once they come into contact with the soil, so you could separate the newly established roots form the rest of the plant in late spring.
Common Problems
It’s easy to grow forget-me-not plants because they don’t have many issues. Even so, you may occasionally come across some problems. Here’s what you can do to remedy them!
Growing Problems
The biggest problem you’ll face with forget-me-nots is their invasive tendency to spread. You can prevent this by removing flower heads right after they finish blooming. Remove entire plants in crowded areas and the ones that popped up outside of where you wanted them.
These water-loving varieties that grow on river banks may be tricky to care for at first if you’re used to others that prefer dry soil. If yours are wilting and have crunchy leaves, it means they’re too dry. If they’re wilting and have limp leaves, it means they’re too wet.
Water more often if they’re dry and refrain from watering if they’re too wet. In severe cases of overwatering, you may have to remove them and move them to a different location with better-draining soil. You’ll be more likely to do this with container specimens than those in the ground.
Pests
Pest issues aren’t typically a problem, but if you do end up with critters, it’ll probably one of these three.
Aphids can be yellow, black, brown, or green. They’re small and suck out the sap of leaves and stems, causing them to look wilted. The simplest solution is to spray them off with water, as they don’t usually keep a tight grip. Consistently spray them off for a week or so, and you’ll notice the population dwindle. Neem oil will kill off their eggs. Ladybugs love to snack on aphids, so it’s a good idea to avoid using products that will hurt ladybugs so you can allow nature to do its thing.
Flea beetles aren’t a common problem, but they can be annoying when they show up! They’re black and so small that they look like seeds, and they, like aphids, suck the sap out of the foliage. The easiest way to prevent them is to cover newly planted flowers in early spring, just after the last frost, since this is when the beetles are most active.
Aside from aphids, slugs and snails may be the biggest pest issue you’ll have. The easiest way to eliminate them is to pick them off at night. It may not be your favorite chore, but it sure is effective! Set a beer or cola trap, or use organic slug bait if necessary.
Diseases
Forget-me-nots aren’t prone to many diseases, but if they do contract something, it’ll likely be fungal. Crown rot is more likely to appear and will have a web-like appearance. Other fungal diseases may include downy mildew, leaf spot, powdery mildew, and rust, all of which will cause discoloration on the leaves.
Most fungal diseases can’t be fully cured, so prevention is the best option. Avoid getting the leaves wet when you water, and make sure your perennial varieties and annual varieties have plenty of airflow between them. You can use horticultural oils such as neem oil and spray them on the foliage weekly to prevent spores from developing.
When you see a disease spreading, remove the damaged leaf tissue. If the issue persists, remove the entire infected plant and any neighboring plants it may have touched. Spraying horticultural oils on plants after you remove infected plants will be the best way to prevent them from spreading further.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the forget-me-not flower symbolize?
The forget-me-not flower symbolizes remembrance, true love, and respect. They’re a great flower to give to someone you love.
How long does forget-me-not flower for?
Most forget-me-not varieties will flower in spring and summer. They usually begin in March and will last until it gets too hot. It depends on the species and your climate.
Do forget-me-nots come back every year?
Depending on your climate, most varieties will behave as annuals and will only come back via the seeds they dropped. Some varieties can be treated as perennials or biennials if the temperatures are just right.
Do forget-me-nots like sun or shade?
Full sun is ideal in cool climates, but they’ll need afternoon shade in hot climates.
Is forget-me-not flower poisonous?
Myosotis sylvatica, the woodland forget-me-not, is edible and safe to keep around pets, but eating too much may upset your stomach. Most varieties are mildly toxic when eaten, especially Myosotis latifolia, the broadleaf forget-me-not, and Cynoglossum amabile, the Chinese forget-me-not, which isn’t an actual forget-me-not.
Are forget-me-nots poisonous to pets?
Myosotis sylvatica is the safest plant to grow if you have pets. It’s mildly toxic if eaten in large quantities. Other varieties are considered toxic and aren’t safe around pets.