The forget-me-not, which is often found in forests and fields in Central Europe, has been cultivated in gardens for many centuries as a medicinal and ornamental plant, although the former "magic herb" used to be found primarily in monastery and herb gardens. Today there are numerous different varieties of spring bloomers that not only bloom sky blue, but also white, pink or violet.

Forget-me-nots give the gardener hundreds of small blue flowers in early summer

Table of Contents

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  1. origin and distribution
  2. use
  3. appearance and growth
  4. toxicity
  5. Which location is suitable?
  6. floor
  7. sowing
  8. Plant forget-me-nots properly
  9. watering and fertilizing
  10. Forget-me-nots cut properly
  11. Forget-me-not multiply
  12. hibernate
  13. diseases and pests
  14. species and varieties

    15. origin and distribution

    Forget-me-not (bot. Myosotis) is also known as mouse-eared bat in some regions, which is what the Greek genus name refers to: it translates to mean exactly that and refers to the shape of the leaves. The approximately 50 species of the genus are native to almost the entire world, with around 41 different species also being found in Central Europe. Where the lyrical name comes from is not exactly clear. A whole series of legends refer to the origin of the name, which differ greatly from region to region. Everywhere, however, a bouquet of blue forget-me-nots is a sign of love, loyalty and farewell. Today, the small flower is no longer so important, instead the luxuriantly blooming spring bloomer is often used as an ornamental plant in the garden.

    use

    The pretty forget-me-not can be planted very well together with other spring flowers and bulbs such as tulips and horned violets in the bed or as a border. For a colorful sea of flowers, it is best to choose species that bloom in May for a social group. The numerous flowers are particularly effective when they are sown in large numbers and thus form a larger carpet - especially since some species quickly reproduce and spread through root suckers. Thus, the forget-me-not can also be used very well as a filler plant to cover larger gaps. If you don't have a garden but have a balcony or terrace, you can also care for the attractive plant in a planter. The various hardy species are only not suitable for indoor culture.

    appearance and growth

    Depending on the variety, the forget-me-not grows between 20 and 40 centimeters high - sometimes even higher - and develops long flowering shoots. Most species are annual or biennial, but there are also perennial varieties or the flowers sow themselves every year and tirelessly come back. Initially, the young plants grow in a rosette and form long, slightly hairy leaves. The long, sometimes heavily branched flowering shoots with the terminal inflorescences only appear in spring. Many species are pronounced spring bloomers and show their splendor between April and June. Other varieties, on the other hand, bloom throughout the growing season well into October. The small, fivefold flowers are mostly light blue, although there are now also pink and white flowering cultivars. Some varieties are initially pink when they sprout and only later turn blue.

    toxicity

    The forget-me-not is not poisonous, but - on the contrary - even edible. For this you use the delicate blue flowers, which, however, have only a slight taste of their own. They are all the more suitable as a pretty decoration for salads and soups, for example, or on bread. In folk medicine, the marsh forget-me-not in particular was also used as a medicinal plant in the past, although the attributed effects have not yet been proven according to scientific standards. That is why the small flower is almost exclusively used in homeopathy, for example in chronic bronchitis or diseases of the lymphatic system.

    Which location is suitable?

    In terms of location, almost all forget-me-not species and their varieties prefer a sunny to semi-shady location, although the willingness to bloom decreases with increasing shade. Basically, Myosotis also thrive very well in light shade.
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    floor

    With regard to the soil, choosing the right spot in the garden is no longer quite so uncomplicated, since the different forget-me-not species sometimes have very different requirements. Some prefer a sandy subsoil, others need a nutrient-rich, moist soil. Choose the right planting place - rock garden or pond edge - therefore according to the needs of the selected species. Basically, you can't go wrong with a humus-rich, well-drained garden soil. The species that grow on fresh soil also prefer slightly acidic soil, which is why you should improve the potting soil with rhododendron soil or ericaceous soil. This substrate is also well suited for a pot culture and can also be improved with compost.

    sowing

    Most forget-me-not varieties for the garden are biennials, i. H. You sow them in the summer months between the end of May and the end of July and only get flowering plants in the following year. You can sow the seeds in bowls and cultivate them there or directly at the intended location. By winter, the plants have grown so much that they can survive the winter outdoors without any problems. And this is how the sowing works:

    • Prepare planting area, dig up well and crumble
    • furrow
    • Sow seeds and cover lightly with soil
    • Keep the soil moist and pull out weeds regularly
    • Germination takes place at temperatures above 18 °C after about 14 to 21 days
    • Prick out seedlings in August
    • Keep a distance of about 20 centimeters

    The young plants grown in this way often bloom as early as March if the weather is suitable. For pot culture, you can also prefer the young plants on the windowsill in winter, but they will flower much later.

    Plant forget-me-nots properly

    In spring, however, many garden centers also sell early forget-me-nots, which you can simply plant in the bed or in the pot yourself after the ice saints. In this way, you don't have to wait a whole year before you can enjoy the blue flowers. And this is how the planting works:

    • Select location
    • Loosen the soil well
    • Remove stones, roots and weeds
    • Place forget-me-nots in a bucket filled with water
    • loosen the root ball with your hands beforehand if necessary
    • there the plants soak up moisture
    • Plant plants 20 centimeters apart in the soil
    • alternatively in tuffs of three to five plants
    • do not put them deeper into the ground than they were in the container
    • Press and water the soil well

    Be sure to keep the specified planting distance of 15 to 20 centimeters - the plants spread quickly and then need space to grow.
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    watering and fertilizing

    Forget-me-nots are easy to care for and bloom profusely, provided you observe the following care rules with regard to watering and fertilizing:

    • Keep soil / substrate evenly moist
    • allow the substrate surface to dry between the individual waterings
    • In the hot summer months, water in the mornings and evenings if necessary
    • no waterlogging
    • do not pour over the flowers, but directly onto the ground
    • use low-lime rainwater
    • Fertilize three times a year with compost and horn meal / horn shavings (32.93€).

    Forget-me-nots cut properly

    The flowering time of the forget-me-not can easily be extended by a targeted pruning of faded shoots. In this way, the plants do not put their power reserves into the formation of fruits and seeds, but instead develop a new flower blossom. In addition, pruning directly after the flowering period has the advantage that you prevent or limit self-sowing - for example by only leaving part of the flower stalks for the fruit to ripen. If you do not cut back after flowering, only cut the forget-me-not just above the ground in early spring.
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    Forget-me-not multiply

    In addition to sowing, you also have the option of growing forget-me-nots vegetatively - i. H. by cuttings or by division - to propagate. These methods work best as follows:

    division

    Large-scale plantings of perennial species that are to be reduced in size and/or limited in their growth are particularly suitable for division. After flowering, take a sharp and clean spade and carefully dig up the plants in the desired area. This often works better with a digging fork, especially since fewer roots are damaged with this tool. Divide the pieces into several sections, each of which should have a strong root mass. Use them separately in the new location, whereby such partial plants can also be cultivated very well in pots and other planters.

    cuttings

    For the cuttings, cut off a few basal shoots with a sharp and clean knife until June - if possible after flowering - whereby the cutting point is at best between the root base and the stem. Make sure that there is a small piece of the root on each cutting, because this is where the new root ball will develop. Dip the interface in a rooting powder and plant the shoots individually in pots with a low-nutrient growing medium. Alternatively, rooting in a water glass is also possible, although you should only use lime-free water (e.g. rainwater) and change it daily. The addition of wood ash prevents the development of rot. The young plants come into the bed either in late summer or in the following spring.
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    hibernate

    Forget-me-nots are naturally hardy plants that are unaffected by frosty temperatures. Nevertheless, you can cover young specimens that were only planted in autumn with leaves and straw and thus protect them from too cold minus degrees and other winter inconveniences. In any case, forget-me-nots cultivated in tubs need winter protection so that the root balls do not freeze through. To do this, place the plant pot on a thick base made of polystyrene or wood and wrap the plant pot with bubble wrap or a piece of gardening fleece.

    diseases and pests

    Forget-me-not is quite susceptible to some fungal diseases such as gray mold (botrytis) and powdery mildew. Avoid infection by keeping the stock airy, not watering from above and occasionally providing the plants with a strengthening plant decoction - a horsetail broth is particularly recommended here. Should a fungal disease nevertheless break out, affected plants should be removed as quickly as possible and disposed of with the household waste - this is the only way to prevent widespread infection. When it comes to pests, aphids in particular are a problem for the plants. These often appear when the location is rather dry.

    tips

    Some of the taller-growing species of forget-me-not make wonderful cut flowers for a vase, for example in a colorful spring or summer bouquet. To ensure that the bouquet lasts as long as possible, place the vase in a bright place and change the water every day. Nutrients, on the other hand, do not have to be added artificially, especially since the plants cannot absorb them without roots anyway.

    species and varieties

    The forget-me-not (bot. Mysotis) is a genus of plants comprising around 50 different species from the borage family (bot. Boraginaceae). 41 of the known species are also native to Central Europe. There are numerous cultivars of some that are often used as ornamental plants in the garden. The most important Mysotis species for the home garden are:

    Field forget-me-not (bot. Myosotis arvensis)

    The field forget-me-not is particularly delightful in the garden due to its very long flowering period: Between April and October it tirelessly shows its numerous, branched flowering shoots. The robust species usually grows once or twice a year and thrives best on nutrient-rich, fresh and loamy soil. The plants are up to 40 centimeters high and can be used in many ways.

    Colorful forget-me-not (bot. Myosotis discolor)

    The colorful forget-me-not bears its name for a reason, after all there are always differently colored flowers on a plant. These are usually yellowish at first, later turning reddish and only later taking on a blue-violet color. Yellow and blue flowers are often found together on one and the same specimen, which makes it easier to distinguish the variety from other Myosotis species. The annual, herbaceous plant is only between 10 and 30 centimeters high and flowers between April and June. It thrives best on the edges of trees, along pine forests, on sandy lawns and along the edges of fields and paths.

    Hill forget-me-not (bot. Myosotis ramosissima)

    The hill forget-me-not, which only grows to a height of around 25 centimetres, with its tiny, light blue to sometimes white flowers can be found in northern and central Germany in particular. The annual species mainly inhabits sunny slopes and hills on sandy, dry soil and is therefore ideal for cultivation in rock gardens and gravel beds. In addition, dry stone walls can also be greened very well with the vigorous plant. The hill forget-me-not blooms between April and June.

    Lawn forget-me-not (bot. Myosotis lax)

    The lawn forget-me-not is exactly the right choice for damp to periodically damp substrates, as it also occurs in nature primarily on the wet banks of bodies of water. The species is mainly distributed in northern and central Europe. The plants reach a height of between 20 and 50 centimetres, do not form any runners and show their blue-white flowers between May and August.

    Sand forget-me-not (bot. Myosotis stricta)

    The annual sand forget-me-not only grows up to 20 centimeters high and thrives best on sandy soil, so you can confidently cultivate the dainty spring bloomers on sandy lawns and stony subsoil. In nature, too, the species occurs on poor, sandy soils and is primarily found on dunes, along roadsides, on sandy fields and also on rocky outcrops. The sand forget-me-not flowers from March and thus very early in the year, and the flowering period lasts quite long into June.

    Swamp Forget-Me-Not (bot. Myosotis scorpioides)

    The swamp forget-me-not can not only be found in many wet areas in Germany - for example on the swampy edges of smaller lakes or ponds, along ditches or streams or generally on nutrient-rich water bodies as well as on wet meadows and in swamp forests - but also an important garden plant for the Planting of garden pond or stream edges. The species grows to a height of up to 80 centimeters and its flowers are extremely long-lasting: the flowering period extends from May to September. For bees and butterflies in particular, the swamp forget-me-not is a valuable forage plant.

    Forest forget-me-not (bot. Myosotis sylvatica)

    The biennial forest forget-me-not grows between 15 and 45 centimeters high and shows numerous sky-blue flowers between May and July. The species is particularly widespread in southern Germany and thrives primarily on the edges of sparse forests, but also on fertile meadows and other locations with fresh and nutrient-rich soil. In addition to the wild form, there are numerous cultivated varieties for the garden, some of which can also be found in the wild. An attractive variety, for example, is the 'Rosylva' variety with numerous pink-purple flowers.

    In addition, with the two related species memorial (bot. Omphalodes verna) and the Caucasus forget-me-not (bot. Brunnera macrophylla), there are two equally pretty representatives of the plant genus, which can also be cultivated wonderfully together with the various forget-me-not species listed here. Both varieties flower between April and May and thrive best in fresh, humus-loamy soil. While the memorial plant is mainly used as ground cover and quickly displaces weaker plants with numerous runners, the Caucasus forget-me-not is an attractive perennial for sunny to partially shaded locations. The 'Variegata' variety of the Caucasus forget-me-not also scores with pretty, white-green variegated leaves.

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Herbs