Characteristics of the nemophila plant, the rules of planting and care in the garden plot, recommendations for reproduction, methods of combating diseases and pests, interesting notes, species and varieties.
Nemophila belongs to the herbaceous representatives of the flora, which are part of the Hydrophyllaceae from the order Boraginaceae. The area of natural distribution covers the territories of the western and southeastern lands of the United States, as well as the western regions of Canada and Mexico. In the genus, botanists have combined about thirteen different species, with some found in rather limited areas.
| Family name | Aquifers |
| Growing period | Long-term, one- or two-year |
| Vegetation form | Herbaceous |
| Breeding method | Seminal |
| Landing period in open ground | From late May to late June |
| Landing rules | The distance between seedlings is at least 20 cm |
| Priming | Lightweight, well-drained, nutritious |
| Soil acidity values, pH | 5–8 - from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline |
| Lighting degree | Semi-shaded locations |
| Humidity parameters | Evening watering in dry and hot weather is carried out every 2-3 days |
| Special care rules | Not demanding |
| Height values | 0.15-0.3 m |
| Inflorescences or type of flowers | Single flowers |
| Flower color | Purple, blue, light blue, pink or white |
| Flowering period | From late June to September |
| Decorative period | Spring-Autumn |
| Application in landscape design | Florists and mixborders, decorating grassy lawns, decorating borders and coastal areas near water bodies, for cutting |
| USDA zone | 5–9 |
The name in Latin of the genus "nemophila" is formed by the words "nemus", which translates as "forest" or "grove" and the term in ancient Greek "phileo", meaning "to love." This is because the flower prefers shading, rather than open sunny places. But on the territory of England, the plant is popularly called "baby blue-eyes", rooted in the phrase "light blue" (baby blue). In Russia, you can find nemophila under the synonym "American forget-me-not", which indicates her native place of growth.
All representatives of the genus are annuals and have creeping stems that do not exceed 15-30 cm in height. Because of this, plants are often used as a ground cover crop. The stems are characterized by fleshiness, but fragility and green color. The surface is distinguished by pubescence of whitish short hairs; the leaf plates have the same coverage. Elongated foliage, which unfolds in nemophila, has a dissection into deep lobes or differs in pinnate-lobed outlines. It is characterized by the same muted shade of green color scheme.
When the American forget-me-not blooms, buds bloom, the corolla of which has five petals. Flowers singly crown the tops of the stems, originating from the leaf axils. In full disclosure, the diameter of the flower is 4.5 cm. The shape of the flowers is broadly bell-shaped, somewhat similar to the outlines of large buttercups flowers. The color that the petals possess depends directly on the cultivated variety and can have a purple or blue, blue, pink or white tone. It happens that the flowers have a whitish or brownish eye in the central part, or their petals are decorated with specks. In our latitudes, flowering begins at the end of the first month of summer and can last until September.
When fruits, represented by capsules with hairy pubescence, ripen, egg-shaped seeds with a smooth or wrinkled surface are formed. The shape of the fruit can be either sphere-shaped or egg-shaped. The width of the capsule is measured in the range of 2–7 mm. Usually the fruits of the American forget-me-not are placed in cups. If we talk about the approximate parameters of the size of seeds, then there are approximately 400 of them in 1 gram. Seed material does not lose its germination capacity for two years.
Cultivation as a culture of American forget-me-not began in 1833. The plant is not capricious, like its relative, an ordinary forget-me-not, and, adhering to simple requirements, you can easily arrange a flower bed or flower garden. At the same time, according to your taste, you can choose from a variety of different varieties and types, those that you like the most.
Rules for planting nemophila and caring for her on a personal plot
- Landing place American forget-me-not should be semi-shaded, since even the name itself speaks of the plant's preferences. It is desirable that the soil has sufficient moisture. If there is a very strong heat in the summer, then there is a possibility of death of these delicate bushes. However, it is noticed that if the lighting level is high, then flowering will delight you with splendor. Full shade is also not recommended, since the stems will be too elongated, they will become bare, as the foliage grinds, and the size of the flowers will not be so large, and there are few buds.
- Soil for nemophila. The plant is completely undemanding and can get along both on not very nutritious soil, and on nutrient-rich, loose and well-drained soil. The last aspect will be the key to lush flowering and vigorous growth. The acidity of the substrate can vary from slightly alkaline to slightly acidic in the pH range 5-8.
- Landing nemophila can be held both in the last days of March and until the very end of June. This is because American forget-me-not seedlings are not at all afraid of return frosts that occur in spring. The distance between plants should be kept in the range of 10–20 cm, which will ensure the formation in the future of a solid colorful green carpet, decorated with delicate flowers. A seedling is placed in the hole in such a way that its root collar is not lower or higher than the soil level on the site. Then the soil around the seedling must be slightly squeezed and the substrate moistened.
- Watering. Since the American forget-me-not does not tolerate heat and dryness at all, it is recommended to constantly keep the substrate cool and slightly moist in the summer. Watering may not be frequent, but the root system should be cool. To do this, after planting, the bushes are recommended to be mulched without fail. Sawdust or peat chips will do. When the weather is dry and hot, soil moistening can be carried out in the evening hours once every 2-3 days.
- Fertilizers for this delicate flower are also necessary, as well as many representatives of the garden. It is recommended to apply complete mineral complexes for the first time after 14 days from sowing or planting. The second is during the budding period, and the third time, feeding is used in the midst of the flowering process. Such drugs can be Kemira-Universal or Fertika.
- General advice on care. Due to the fact that the stems of American forget-me-nots do not have sufficient height, it is recommended to carry out regular weeding from weeds. Such actions are necessary not only because weeds drown out nemophila, but also deplete the soil, while the plant does not have nutrients necessary for development and flowering. It is better to remove weed grass immediately after its appearance, so that it does not give offspring and self-seeding.
- The use of nemophila in landscape design. Since the height of the stems of the American forget-me-not is small, such bushes can be used to decorate flower beds with low-growing representatives of the flora, or they serve to decorate the edges of flower beds or borders. Since nemophiles can "boast" of a long flowering period, the popularity of plants in our latitudes is increasing. Not bad neighbors for the American forget-me-not will be such annuals, through which it is possible to form quite spectacular color schemes. Such plants, for example, are petunias and scented tobacco, lobelia and verbena.
Since nemophila stems have a tendency to creep along the surface of the soil, the plant can be used as a pot culture. It is customary to plant it in hanging baskets (pots) or garden containers. Because of the love for moist soil, the American forget-me-not can be placed in the coastal zone of natural or artificial reservoirs. Often it is planted along garden paths, along with bulbous or corms, so that there is a kind of "struggle" between them, that is, during flowering, some plants are replaced by others.
Recommendations for breeding nemophila - growing seedlings from seeds
In order to breed American forget-me-not bushes on the site, the seed propagation method is used. In this case, you can place seeds both directly in the open ground, and grow seedlings.
Reproduction of nemophila by seeds
To carry out sowing at the selected place, it is recommended to select the time in the middle of spring (April days are suitable). But if you want to enjoy flowering in the autumn, the seed is sown in the middle of summer. Seeds are buried in the ground no more than 2 cm and watering is carried out. The distance between the crops is maintained at 15–20 cm. The sprouts will appear in about 14 days from the moment of sowing, but it is important to ensure that the soil always remains slightly moist and never completely dries out.
Reproduction of nemophila by seedling method
If there is a desire to get flowering at an earlier date, then you can cultivate seedlings by sowing seed in early March. Then, already in April, you can enjoy the grown American forget-me-not plants. When sowing is carried out at the beginning of April days, the seedlings will be completely ready for transplanting in May.
Important
Sowing seeds indoors can cause them to grow moldy and disappear. It all depends on the verified watering.
For sowing, special cups with a retractable bottom are used, filled with a substrate for seedlings, or made from peat containers are used. A peat-sand soil mixture is also suitable for sowing. When sowing seeds, they should not be embedded deeply into the soil layer, they are lowered in the holes by about 1 cm. At least 5–8 cm are left between the seeds, otherwise too dense plantings will have to be thinned out. Watering with sowing should be moderate, but it is important to find a "golden mean" not to overdry the soil, but also not to bring it to acidification. In the latter case, the seeds will simply rot. Until the first sprouts appear, it is recommended to cover the planting containers with plastic wrap or put a piece of glass on top of the box.
Important
Since nemophila tolerates transplanting or picking extremely negatively due to the hypersensitive root system, the seeds should be immediately placed in containers at the right distance from each other or separate peat cups should be used, which are simply installed in the hole without injuring the roots.
When growing seedlings, it is recommended to carry out supplementary lighting with special phytolamps or to put the plants in a well-lit place. If this rule is not followed, then the seedlings of the American forget-me-not will be very stretched and weakened. When the time comes to transplant seedlings to a flower bed, then before that, hardening of the seedlings must be done in 2 weeks. To do this, the landing containers are taken out into the open air for 20-30 minutes, gradually increasing this time interval until it becomes equal to days. Nemophila is planted in open ground when the height of the seedlings' stems reaches 8–10 cm. It is curious that young plants are not at all afraid of recurrent spring frosts and seedlings can be planted from the last week of March to the end of June.
Disease and pest control methods when growing nemophila in the garden
The plant is highly resistant, since most of the natural enemies remained in their native places of growth. If the rules of agricultural technology are not regularly violated, then the American forget-me-not is practically not affected by both diseases and harmful insects.
However, it happens that the following pests can be seen on the plant:
- Aphids, which is represented by green or black small bugs sucking nutritious juices. After this, the foliage is brightened, and then the nemophila is suppressed.
- Whitefly also sucks nutrients from the foliage of the American forget-me-not, which leads to the fact that the leaves begin to turn yellow and fly around, growth stops, but there are so many insects that the plant quickly dies. The pest looks like small white midges, and at the stage of development of dots on the back of the leaf plates.
- Spider mite It is not difficult to notice, since a thin cobweb forms on the foliage and stems, which, if no action is taken, begins to envelop the entire bush, which leads to the death of the nemophila.
When the first symptoms are detected, it is recommended to immediately remove all pests using insecticidal preparations, of which there are a large number on the market. Among them, such products as Karbofos, Aktara and Aktellik are successful. After a week or a little more, it is necessary to re-spray to remove the remaining pest eggs and hatched individuals at this point.
The next problem can be gastropods (slugs and snails), which are engaged in nibbling foliage and stems. To drive out "uninvited guests", you should spray the bushes of American forget-me-not with a solution infused with wood ash or use drugs such as Meta-Groza.
Of the diseases, American forget-me-not can suffer from gray rot arising from a fungal infection. The disease is provoked by high humidity and at first looks like very small brown specks covering the leaves, petals and stamens. But then the spotting grows in size, and the tissues affected by it die off. For treatment, all parts with such marks are recommended to be removed from the nemophila bush, and the plant itself should be treated with fungicidal preparations such as Fundazol, Hom or Skor, Topaz. Also, a waterlogged substrate leads to the beginning of decay of the root system and then an immediate transplant with preliminary soil treatment in a new place, removal of decayed parts and processing them with Bordeaux liquid will be required.
Read more about pest and disease control methods for growing soapwort
Interesting notes about American forget-me-not flower
Among all types of American forget-me-nots, there are those that are grown purely as flowering ornamental plants. If, for example, take Japan, then in such a famous park as Hitachi, about 4.5 million plants of this genus open their buds during the flowering period.
Types and varieties of nemophila
Nemophila menziesii
- most often referred to as "blue-eyed". It is represented by an annual growing in the western regions of North America, which includes California, Baja California and Oregon. The height at which this plant is found in nature reaches almost 6500 meters above sea level. It prefers not only mountainous areas, but also valley meadows.
The height of the stems is not more than 15 cm. Quite variable variety. The leaves in the lower part have petioles, their shape is lobed, and the arrangement is opposite. The length of the leaf plate is 10-50 mm, while it has 5-13 lobes, moreover, each one is whole or with one or three teeth. The upper leaves are more or less sessile, also lobed to a lesser extent than the lower ones.
When flowering, the flower-bearing stem can be 20–60 mm. The lobes of the calyx do not exceed 4–8 mm. The outlines of the flower are broadly bell-shaped. The flower is blue in color with a whitish central part, or it is completely white, but with blue color veins on the petals or black specks near the center. There are plants with petals ranging from sky blue to deep purple. The diameter of the opened rim reaches 5–40 mm. The tubule is less than or equal to the filaments.
Contains the following varietal forms:
- Nemophila Menzis Atomaria (Nemophila menziesii var.atomaria) has snow-white flowers with black specks, often with a faint bluish tint or with a celestial tone veins in the corolla. Grows on coastal cliffs or grassy slopes in Oregon, Northwest California, California Central Coast and the San Francisco Bay Area.
- Nemophila Menzis Interfolia (Nemophila menziesii var. Interifolia) characterized by blue flowers, with black dots in the central part of the petals and dark blue veins on them. It grows in grasslands, canyons, forests and slopes in the central, southern and coastal regions of southwestern California, east of the Sierra Nevada region, and also occurs in the Mojave Desert and Baja California.
- Nemophila Menzis Mencessi (Nemophila menziesii var. Menziesii) has bright blue flowers with white centers, which are usually dotted with black dots. It is found almost throughout California, in meadows, chaparrals, forests, slopes and deserts, but cannot grow above 1600 meters above sea level.
- Nemophila Menzis Okulat (Nemophila menziesii var. Oculata) characterized by dark spotting at the base of the petals.
- Nemophila Menzies Coelestis (Nemophila menziesii var. Coelestis) flaunts with flowers with a blue border.
- Nemophila menziesii var Penny black rather exotic, due to the petals of a bluish-black color, along the edge of which there is a whitish stripe.
Spotted nemophila (Nemophila maculata)
this particular species is called "five spots" or also blue-eyed (baby blue-eyes). It is endemic (found nowhere else in nature) of the Californian lands. It was found on slopes with an altitude ranging from 10-1000 meters above sea level. The greatest distribution is found in the Sierra Nevada, the Sacramento Valley and the California coast in the San Francisco Bay Area. The species is found in several plant communities, including meadow valleys, foothill forests, pine and spruce forests.
An annual plant that blooms in spring. Miniature annual ground cover (about 20 cm in height) with lush openwork foliage and branched, rarely pubescent shoots. Leaves up to 3 cm long and 1.5 cm wide, divided into several smooth or serrated lobes. When flowering, cup-shaped white flowers with dark streaks and dots open. The tips of the petals are purple-spotted. The corolla is 1 to 2 cm long and up to 5 cm wide. The flower spots that have given rise to the species name have evolved to attract primary pollinators, which are solitary bees. Male and female bees feed on nectar, while females collect pollen to feed their larvae.
Seeds are greenish brown, smooth or with small stones. The fruit gives up to 12 seeds. The entire fruiting and sowing cycle begins in spring and ends in summer. Sowed as an annual ornamental plant.
The best varieties are recognized:
- Ladybug with broadly bell-shaped flowers that can open up to 4.5 cm in diameter. The color of the petals is white, the top of each of them is decorated with a scarlet or bluish spot.
- Barbara, the flowers have an unusual color: the petals are snow-white, and the tip has a dark purple speck. Differs in cold resistance. Stems can reach a height of 10–20 cm. Grows well in a semi-shady place. Preferably, for the decoration of borders, next to water bodies, they are also planted along garden paths near the bulbous flowering representatives of the flora.
Small-flowered nemophila (Nemophila parviflora)
also found under the name Nemophila parviflora. The plant is native to low to medium elevation forests and the chaparral and oak forests of western North America, from California to British Columbia to Utah. An annual with spring flowering. The flowers are cup-shaped, from white to lavender, solitary originating from the axils of the leaves. The rim is up to 4.5 mm wide. Leaves 10–35 mm long and 8–25 mm wide. They have 2 pairs of lateral lobes, while their outlines are solid. The fruit is a single-seed capsule.
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Video about growing nemophila in open ground:
