Woodland Forget Me Not Myosotis Seeds

Originally native to Europe and Asia, woodland Forget-me-not is a self-seeding biennial that is sure that add a beautiful splash of blue to your garden. The name ‘’forget-me-not’’ comes from an old medieval legend. A French knight and his fiancée were walking along a river. When he bent to pick her a little blue flower, his heavy armour caused him to lose balance and he fell into the water. As the current was carrying him away, he tossed the flowers to his lady, and he shouted ‘’Ne m’oubliez pas!’’ The forget-me-not flower remains a powerful symbol of love, even to this day.

Like most wildflowers, forget-me-not is a low-maintenance plant that thrives with minimal care. Forget-me-not grows wild near streams and bodies of water, so it will do best in areas with high humidity and moisture.  Tolerant of full sun but preferring partial shade, this plant is excellent for naturalizing a damp woodland area. This hardy plant grows into dwarf branching shrubs that reach 8-15 inches tall. The stems explode with a burst of charming five-petaled royal-blue florets that are small in diameter, typically a centimeter or less. Plant some forget-me-not in your garden and you will have stunning indigo-blue blooms every spring for years to come.

GROWING INSTRUCTIONS

The shrublike wildflower only reaches 30 cm in height, but produces gorgeous, dainty bunches of five petaled blue blossoms. They can be planted as a biennial, sown in the summer and enjoyed the following year, or as a self-sowing perennial. Either way, once established, you won’t be able to forget about these charming blue flowers.

In cold climates, seeds can be sown directly around the time of the last frost or started indoors up to 10 weeks before the last frost. Seeds should be planted very shallowly and spaced or thinned to 15 cm apart. In warm zones, seeds can be sown in the fall for spring blooms. Forget-me-nots can stand full sun in northern regions, but may still benefit from some afternoon shade.

Soil should be rich, well-drained and kept moist. Forget-me-nots will tolerate both cold and heat, but may be susceptible to powdery mildew in extremely hot and humid conditions. They will overwinter without special treatment even in very cold regions.

Forget-me-nots can be used in many ways throughout the landscape. They make a beautiful ground cover, do well in containers and will grow in any garden. Just beware of their tendency to spread rapidly. Their wild nature can invade large spaces quickly.

Blooming occurs for several weeks in April and May. To get the most out of the flowers every season, be sure the soil has plenty of organic matter and is retaining moisture at all times. Forget-me-nots will faithfully bring forth their yearly blue blooms without much special care.

Deadhead spent blooms and seed heads to prevent self-seeding. Otherwise, let multiple plants gather together and grow wildly, displaying their impressive clusters of petite flowers. Any pruning or cutting back will inhibit plants from reaching their full potential for the season.

Flowers can be propagated easily because of their tendency to self-seed. In the spring, dig up seedlings that have sprouted from dropped seed and pot them up or plant in other garden areas.

Powdery mildew and rust can become problems because of forget-me-nots’ preference for dampness. Just avoid overhead watering and properly space plants to discourage these diseases. Forget-me-nots are an elegant yet versatile, low-maintenance flowers to consider for all gardeners. 

QUICK FACTS

- The botanical name Myosotis comes from the Greek word ‘’mus’’ for mouse and ‘’otis’’ for ears, referring to the leaves that are shaped like mouse ears.

- Myosotis seeds will remain viable for 3 years if stored in a cool, dark place, ideally between 4 and 10⁰C. After that, the germination rate may start to go down.