Description of the forget-me-not plant, planting and care rules for growing in open ground, advice on breeding, methods of pest and disease control, curious notes, species and varieties.
Forget-me-not (Myosotis) belongs to the genus of herbaceous flora included in the Boraginaceae family. The native area of distribution falls on European, American territories, they also cover the lands of Asia, the southern regions of the African continent, Australia and the islands of New Zealand. The genus itself has almost fifty varieties, of which 35 can be found in the countries of the former USSR. Forget-me-nots prefer to settle on well-moistened fresh soil, some of them grow in coastal areas next to water bodies, swampy areas or along large and small waterways.
| Family name | Borage |
| Growing period | Long-term, one- or two-year |
| Vegetation form | Herbaceous |
| Breeding method | Seed and only rarely vegetative (cuttings) |
| Landing period in open ground | April or August |
| Landing rules | The distance between seedlings is at least 10 cm |
| Priming | Moist, light to medium nutritious |
| Soil acidity values, pH | 6, 5-7 (neutral) |
| Lighting degree | Sunny location or shading |
| Humidity parameters | Watering is needed if the leaves have lost turgor |
| Special care rules | No special care required during cultivation |
| Height values | 0.1-0.4 m |
| Inflorescences or type of flowers | Inflorescence curls or brushes |
| Flower color | Blue, pink or whitish |
| Flowering period | May to mid-June |
| Decorative period | Spring Summer |
| Application in landscape design | Flower beds and mixborders, decorating grass lawns, landscaping borders and coastal areas near water bodies, for cutting |
| USDA zone | 3–9 |
The genus got its name by merging two words in Greek "myos" and "ous", which have the translation "mouse" and "ear", respectively. All due to the fact that the leaf plates of the plant are characterized by dense pubescence of shortened hairs, resembling small ears of small rodents. It is curious that in various languages, not only those related to European, the sound of the name "forget-me-not" is practically indistinguishable. So, for example, in Polish it sounds “nezapominajki” (Niezapominajki), and in Bulgarian “nezabravka” and the like. There are other names among the people, among them gourd and pristine, as well as feverish herb, because of its medicinal properties.
Among the types of forget-me-nots, there are those that grow for only one or two years, but there are also those that have a long-term growing period. Branching stems reach 10–40 cm in height. Sessile leaf plates unfold on them in sequential order, taking on lanceolate, linear-lanceolate or spatulate outlines. There are varieties with an oval or elongated tip. The color of the foliage is a rich emerald, grassy or grayish-green hue.
When blooming, small flowers bloom, which have blue petals with a yellow center. Occasionally, the petals are pinkish or whitish. The calyx of the flower has bell-shaped contours. It has five lobes, which are formed by more or less strong separation. Inside the flower there are 5 stamens and a single pistil. The size across the open flower is 2–5 mm. The petals are located in the corolla very close to each other.
The inflorescences collected from the buds have a curl or brush shape. For forget-me-nots, flowering begins in late spring and lasts until mid-June. At the same time, the flowering period is extended by 2-3 weeks, but when the weather is cool, it becomes a little longer. It is noteworthy that spring frosts cannot damage this delicate plant.
As soon as the flowers are pollinated, the fruit ripens, made up of two pairs of nuts. These nut-like parts of it are called erems. When the fruit is fully ripe, erem separation occurs. The seeds ripening in them are very small. According to estimates, 1 g contains about 1500-2000 seeds. Their color is black, the shape is ovoid. Seed germination is not lost for 2-3 years.
The plant is quite unpretentious, such bushes can be used to decorate any flower bed or mixborder. Not only in Russian gardens you can see flower beds with delicate blue flowers, but also in European lands (in England, Sweden, Germany and France) "mouse ear" is not uncommon.
Planting and caring for forget-me-nots when grown outdoors
- Landing place women should be selected in accordance with her natural preferences - here a flower bed can be selected, both in the shade and in the sun, only in the first case the duration of the flowering process will increase (not 20 days, but 30-40 days), and the flowers will acquire a rich bright blue color scheme. The only exception is the alpine forget-me-not (Myosotis alpestris), which is accustomed to bright levels of lighting.
- Soil for planting forget-me-nots. The best solution for cultivating a gourd is a moist but light substrate. Nutritional value should be medium, otherwise the rapid growth of green mass will begin to the detriment of flowering, it is also noticed that the bushes will develop very poorly on a sandy and poor soil mixture. The recommended acidity is neutral with a pH of 6, 5–7.
- Planting forget-me-nots. You can start transplanting seedlings in April, since the plant is not afraid of return frosts. Before this, the soil is prepared and pits are formed, so that the root system of the seedlings can easily fit in them. After the gourd is planted, the soil around the bush is slightly squeezed, watered and mulched. It is recommended to place seedlings at a distance of at least 10 cm.
- Watering plants must be carried out regularly and abundantly in the event that it is grown in an open sunny area. In shading, the soil should not be moistened in order to prevent acidification and, as a result, decay of the root system. In the last weeks of spring, when the time of flowering comes, the soil is still saturated with moisture and watering may not be needed, but if the turgor of the leaves has decreased, then moisture becomes necessary. After watering has been carried out or it rains, the substrate must be loosened and mulched.
- Fertilizers for a turtledove plant, it must be applied, which will stimulate growth and flowering. It is recommended to use a composition of ammonium nitrate, superphosphate, potassium chloride, which are mixed in a ratio of 2: 3: 1. Forget-me-not also responds to the introduction of the mullein, which should be diluted in water in a ratio of 1:10. After the top dressing is carried out, the substrate is mulched.
- Tips for wintering forget-me-nots. Usually, such perennial plants do not require shelter for the winter period, both when grown in the middle zone of the Russian territory, and on lands with milder climatic conditions.
- The use of forget-me-not in landscape design. The gourd bushes look good in the middle of the grass lawn. Since the plant has the properties to grow well in shade due to the dense grass, this is often used by phytodesigners when forming a Moorish lawn. Usually it combines forget-me-nots, blooming in May in blue color, with viols and calendula, which revive the flower bed with orange-yellow or bright yellow color. If there is a natural or artificial reservoir on the site, then the swamp forget-me-not (Myosotis palustris) will be an excellent decoration on its banks. When decorating borders, such bushes with delicate flowers will be indispensable. You can also combine pristines by placing them along the garden paths, next to the bulbous flowering plants. When the flowering of the scillas and muscari ends, they are replaced by the opened flowers of ornithogalums and forget-me-nots. But you have to think about what to find to replace them in June. If a flower bed with spring flowers is formed, then daffodils and tulips, which have different flowering periods, are the best neighbors of forget-me-nots.
You can plant gourd bushes in garden pots and containers, in boxes for landscaping balconies and terraces, but you should plant them very densely, because only when there are a lot of bushes, flowering will be most effective.
Read more about planting and caring for a lithodora outdoors
Forget-me-not breeding tips
Usually, you can get new plants of the pristine by sowing seed. However, both seed and seedling methods can be used here. And only varietal forms of forget-me-nots are propagated vegetatively using cuttings.
Reproduction of forget-me-nots in a reckless way
If bushes of feverish grass are already growing on the site, it is not worth sowing every year, since the plant has the property of self-seeding. At the same time, the territory of distribution goes beyond the boundaries of the garden allotted for forget-me-not. With the arrival of spring, you can simply transplant the seedlings that have appeared to the desired flower bed if they have shifted their location.
Usually, the sowing of the purchased seeds of the beggar is carried out in the summer - from July to August. It is recommended to prepare the soil before sowing by mixing peat crumbs and humus into it, it is also good to add fertilizer to it - nitroammofosk, which will stimulate development. For sowing, grooves are formed in the soil, into which the seeds are evenly placed. After sowing, they are lightly sprinkled with dry river coarse sand. And then, after 14 days, you can see the first shoots. However, such seedlings will delight with flowering only next spring.
Reproduction of forget-me-nots in a seedling way
This method is recommended for obtaining flowering bushes this spring during this growing season. In containers (seedling boxes), the bottom of which has holes for water drainage, a soil mixture is poured, based on river sand and sod soil, the ratio is maintained at 1: 2. It is imperative to thoroughly disinfect the soil before sowing. For this, the substrate is sprayed with a strong solution of potassium permanganate. After the soil mixture is dry, you can sow. Pre-sowing preparation of seed material is also necessary here. It is necessary to separate empty and unusable seeds, for this they are placed in slightly salted water and the hollow ones immediately rise to the surface of the liquid. The remaining seeds must be rinsed under running water and placed on a clean cloth to dry.
The seeds are distributed evenly over the soil surface and are only lightly sprinkled with the same substrate. Before the first shoots appear, it is recommended to cover the crops with paper. Literally after 7 days, you can see the first sprouts of forget-me-nots and the shelter can then be removed. Only when a couple of leaves unfold on the seedlings is it necessary to dive the seedlings using separate planting pots. Many flower growers advise using containers made of pressed peat chips, so as not to pull the plants out of them later. This greatly facilitates the subsequent transplant process. You can use the same seedling box, but then the seedlings are placed in it at a distance of about 3 cm from each other.
After that, the transplanted forget-me-not plants are transferred to a room with a cool temperature (a cold greenhouse is suitable) and kept there until spring. Backlighting is not needed, since the forget-me-not tolerates shading well, but high-quality watering should be provided when the surface of the substrate is dry. With the arrival of March, the seedlings are moved to a warm room. Only when the last week of April comes, it is possible to transplant seedlings into a prepared flower bed, and besides, buds may already be formed on the plants of the beautifull. The transplant can be performed at the end of August.
Reproduction of forget-me-nots by cuttings
This method is recommended for obtaining new varietal plants, since when sowing seeds, parental traits may be lost. Billets are cut from the tops of the stems throughout May-June. Their Dina should be about 4–5 cm. Then the cuttings are immediately planted in the prepared substrate. After rooting, the seedlings can be easily transplanted, since the pristine has a root system located close to the soil surface. It has been noticed that these plants can be transplanted due to such a root system, even during the flowering process. For seedlings, shading is recommended for the first time.
Pest and disease control methods when growing forget-me-nots
Although the plant is a good-looking plant, it is completely undemanding and easy to care for, but due to waterlogged soil and a decrease in temperature, neglect of plantings or a lot of weeds on the site, diseases are possible:
- Powdery mildew at which the stems and leaves begin to take on a whitish hue, comparable to a lime solution. For treatment, treatment of plantings with fungicides (for example, Fundazol) is recommended.
- Gray rot, characterized by the appearance on the leaves of a gray or whitish cannon, after which the affected parts begin to dry out, and they become soft under the fingers. To cure forget-me-not, it is necessary to carry out pollination with sulfur dust or spraying with a solution based on copper and soap, the preparation "Hom" will also help.
- Root rot or "blackleg" can manifest itself by darkening in the root part of the stems, after which they simply lie down or break off, since the root system of the plant rots. For treatment, it is important to remove all affected parts of the turtle dove, and treat the sections with sulfur powder or charcoal crushed into dust. After that, it is important to transplant forget-me-not bushes to a new place where the soil will be thoroughly disinfected.
Among the pests that can harm the plants of the beauties, there are:
- Aphids, sucking nourishing juices from the leaves. Here it is necessary to use insecticides such as Aktara or Aktellik to combat.
- Scoop, laying eggs, from which caterpillars hatch, gnawing young leaves. Treatment with Deces or Ariva is recommended against them.
- Slugs, also gnawing leaves and stems of forget-me-nots. Against such "uninvited guests", metaldehyde preparations like Meta Groza are recommended.
- Cruciferous flea beetles, which are essentially leaf beetles, which speaks for itself. For the fight, the already indicated insecticides or such as Sherpa or Arriva should be used.
Read also about possible difficulties in growing borage.
Interesting notes about the forget-me-not flower
A large number of a wide variety of legends circulate about this delicate flower in different countries, but all of them speak of eternal fidelity and memory. For example, in Greece there is a belief about a shepherd boy who was called Likas. Before leaving, the guy gave his beloved a small bouquet of forget-me-nots and asked to take care of it so as not to forget about their love. There is another story about how a couple of young people walked next to the river. On one of the steep banks, the girl noticed delicate blue flowers with a yellow center and wished her lover to bring them to her. The young man, without thinking twice, climbed to the plants along the steep slope, but could not hold onto the steepness, and fell into the fast river. The current immediately caught him and he disappeared into the stormy waves, having only managed to shout to his bride: "Do not forget me!" Almost all legends are sad and lyrical, but they describe the origin of the plant's name in almost the same way.
In ancient times, it was believed that forget-me-not is a witch's flower. This is due to the fact that there was a belief that if you weave a wreath and put it on your loved one around the neck or put it on your chest, you can awaken an unprecedented love and bind with this feeling very tightly. It was believed that the roots of the plant can help with this.
However, forget-me-not is known among the people not only with such "fairy tales". For a long time, doctors knew about the medicinal properties of this modest but attractive flower. Drugs based on the pristine helped stop bleeding and had an expectorant effect. With preparations made from Myosotis, it is possible to eliminate inflammation and reduce perspiration. If patients suffered from coughs or chronic bronchitis, then healers prescribed medications based on forget-me-not. Such remedies also helped with toothache, hemoptysis and pulmonary tuberculosis. Forget-me-not juice treat tumors on the mucous membranes (both on the genitals and in the oral cavity).
However, there are also contraindications to the use of turtle-dove-based products. They are:
- pregnancy and lactation period;
- childhood;
- individual intolerance of the patient to the means from Myosotis.
Types and varieties of forget-me-nots
Alpine forget-me-not (Myosotis alpestris)
In the natural environment, it is not uncommon on the territory of Central Europe, also in the lands of the Caucasus. It is found in the European part of Russia, where chernozem soil is present. It prefers to settle on rocky or stony slopes, from the species name it is clear that the alpine and subalpine zones are native, it is not uncommon for a plant in steppe and steppe regions, in meadows and in forests where there are outcrops of sandy or stony soil.
Perennial variety, characterized by a short rhizome and stem height within 5-15 cm (occasionally reaching 40 cm). A rosette is formed from leaf plates of a grayish hue due to the hairy coating in the root zone. In the spring, a large number of buds open. The color of the petals in the flowers is dark blue, in rare cases it is light blue, and in exceptional cases it is whitish. The bend at the petals is more or less even. The inflorescences formed from flowers are short. The duration of flowering is stretched to 40–45 days. The fruit is nutty, when ripe it has the properties of falling apart.
The species became the basic one in breeding a large number of garden varieties, since it is rarely grown in its pure form.
Marsh forget-me-not (Myosotis palustris)
as from the name of the species it is clear "inhabitant" of coastal zones next to rivers and streams, swamps. The distribution area falls on the territory of the Western Transcaucasia and South Siberian regions, it is found in the European part of Russia and Central Europe, it grows on the Balkan Peninsula and Mongolian lands.
Perennial, but its growth cycle is not too long. The stems have strong branching, their height does not exceed 30 cm. The outlines of the stems have four edges. The leaf plates are lanceolate, no more than 8 cm long and 2 cm wide. The color of the foliage is bright green. From May until autumn, flowers appear on the stems, measuring about 1, 2 cm in diameter. The color of closely spaced petals is pale blue. First, curl inflorescences are collected from the buds, which, as the flowering lasts, begin to stretch out due to the fact that shoots are continuously formed on them. When the latter fade, then their withering away begins. It is recommended to decorate the shores of artificial and natural reservoirs with such bushes, to carry out a landing next to watercourses. Reproduction is carried out by seeds.
The variety is characterized by a number of varietal forms, among which stands out Thuringen with flowers of dark blue color scheme. American breeders have developed a variety based on the species Semperflorens characterized by bright celestial petals and a yellow center inside.
Alpine garden forget-me-not (Myosotis x hybrida)
Although it is a perennial, it is grown in culture as a plant with a 2-year growing cycle. Differs in undemanding care. It can grow both in a sunny location and in the shade, but it is most comfortable for bushes in a semi-shady place. Flowering falls in the second half of spring, although in the territory of central Russia it begins no earlier than the 20th of May. It will easily cope with return frosts in spring, when the thermometer drops below -5 degrees or there will be no precipitation for a long time during this period. The flowering period is 30–40 days.
A large number of flowers appear on the stems, and from the last week of June and throughout July, seed ripening will begin. When the fruits are fully ripe, the seed material spills out onto the surface of the soil and you can see the grown seedlings already in the first summer month, turning into rather dense bushes by the end of summer.
The best varieties of this variety are recognized:
- Victoria (Victoria) - generally recommended by American firms for its lush bloom and dense, small, rounded bushes. The height of the stems is 20-30 cm. The color of the flowers is sky blue.
- Blauer Korb, whose bushes exceed 0.3 m in height, their outlines are cylindrical. The petals are painted in dark blue colors.
- Blue Ball - compact bushes, formed by means of stems not exceeding 15 cm in height. Flowers of a deep blue hue, a lot of them open on the stems.
- Indigo - the owner of dense outlines, the stems reach a height of no more than 15 cm. Flowers of a pleasant blue tone.
- Carmen King - characterized by flowers of an interesting dark pink color, which cover the stems, stretching 20 cm in height.
- Compinidi - does not differ in large parameters of bushes, only 15 cm, but the color of the petals in flowers is bright dark blue.
- Music has stems that make up a bush almost 25 cm high. Inflorescences are dark blue.
- Miro - varietal variation with small stem parameters (only 15 cm). When blooming, buds open with a pale bluish tint of petals.
- Rosylva - a rather spectacular and decorative variety, the bushes of which grow up to 20 cm in height. Blooming pink-tinted petals in flowers.
At the same time, plants of these varieties have the properties of seed propagation to form bushes, which in height will vary within 15-30 cm. Flowers take on shades of blue, pink, and occasionally white.
Forest forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica)
The native area of growth falls on the territory of forests located in the middle regions of Europe and the Carpathians. Shade-tolerant species with a dark green foliage, preferring moist soil.
Although it is a perennial, it is cultivated as a biennial plant. By means of highly branched stems, bushes are formed, reaching a height of 30 cm. Leaf plates of elongated lanceolate outlines unfold on them. In the root zone, the foliage is petiolate with oval contours. When flowering, numerous buds open up to 1 cm in diameter. The petals in the corolla are close and their color is pale blue. Flowers are crowned with pedicels, which are spaced apart from each other. From the buds, inflorescences are collected on the tops of the stems that look like curls. The flowering process begins in late spring and lasts no more than 45 days. The fruit is a nut with a sharp point at the top of black.
There are varietal forms characterized by flowers with pink, blue and blue petals, but the most spectacular is recognized Blue Bird.
Forget-me-not-flowered (Myosotis dissitiflora)
The Alpine mountains of Switzerland are considered to be their native lands. In nature, a perennial, but in gardens it is grown as a plant with a two-year growing period. The flowers that bloom at the tops of the stems are large in size, the petals in them are dark blue. There are garden forms characterized by petals in the corolla that take on a blue, pink or white color. Growing in gardens began in 1868.
Related article: Rules for growing lungwort in the garden
Video about growing forget-me-nots in the open field:
