Forget-me-not (Myosotis) is an annual or perennial plant. Belongs to the family Borage (Boraginaceae). The flowers are small blue with a yellow eye in the center (rarely the petals are pink or white) collected in inflorescences. The stems are low, the leaves are large oblong. Leaf color varies from grayish green to bright green. The plant reaches an average height of 30 cm, although there are species of taller creeping flowers. The fruits of forget-me-nots, which are easy to care for, are black nuts that consist of four ovoid parts.
These plants tolerate spring frosts well, they are winter-hardy and shade-tolerant. Forget-me-nots grow in many places: in South America and in South Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Among many gardeners, they are valued for their virtually no maintenance and the unobtrusive beauty of their heavenly blooms.
Variety of species
There are about 50 wild species this flower. Here are the most common ones:
- Alpine forget-me-not (Myosotis alpestris)- found in the Alps, Carpathians, and Caucasus. The stems are low, from 5 to 15 cm, the rhizome is short. The leaves are gray-green. The flowers are dark blue. It blooms for a long time, about seven weeks. This is one of the few types of forget-me-nots that love sunlight.
- Forest forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica)– a perennial plant that loves moisture and shade. Grows in the Carpathians, in Europe. It reaches a height of 30 cm. The leaves are elongated oval in shape, the color is soft green. The flowers are light blue. It also blooms for a long time.
- Forget-me-not (Myosotis palustris)- perennial plant. The stems are branched, the leaves are very large, up to 8 cm in length. Blooms all summer (May-September). The flowers are pink or blue. It grows on the banks of swamps, rivers, and lakes, as it loves moist soil. Found in Siberia, Transcaucasia, Mongolia, Central Europe and the Balkans.
- Forget-me-not (Myosotis arvensis)– used as medicinal plant. The shoots are low, the flowers are blue, small size(up to 0.5 cm in diameter). Blooms for a long time, from May to late autumn. Grows in the vast expanses of Siberia, Asia, North Africa and in the Canary Islands.
- Forget-me-not (Myosotis czekanowski)– this type of forget-me-not is included in the Red Book of Russia. It is found exclusively in the Olenek-Lena interfluve and on the left bank of the Talagan River (Kharaulakh Mountains), as well as in the north of the Verkhoyansk Range. It is quite difficult to find even to take a photo.
- Rehsteiner's forget-me-not (Vyosotis Rehsteineri)- one of the species that spreads along the ground, forming a soft blue carpet in the clearing. Blooms in April and May. Refers to perennial plants that require virtually no care.
What you need to know about plant care
Caring for the flowers described in this article has a number of features:
- Myosotis is a frost-resistant plant that loves shade.
- Flowers prefer moist meadow, clay or sandy-clay soil, that is, plants need to be watered once every three weeks. Try not to overdo it; overwatering can cause the forget-me-not to wither.
- There is no need to weed the soil. This component of care can only harm the plant.
- The soil should be fertilized at least once a month (with organic and mineral fertilizers, you can prepare a mixture: 1 teaspoon of urea, potassium sulfate and nitrophoska, diluted in 10 liters of water).
- To prolong the flowering of the plant, do not flood the flowers, but provide them with indirect access. sunlight. Then the flowers will become brighter and more saturated.
- Main enemy Forget-me-nots, the beauty of which is visible even in the photo, are aphids, which can be fought in one of the many ways that we talked about.
- The above flowers tolerate transplants very easily, quickly adapting to a new place.
In case of non-compliance necessary conditions(lack or excess of moisture, abundant sun rays) the roots of forget-me-nots can rot, the leaves dry out and the flowers fade.
How to plant forget-me-nots correctly
Growing forget-me-nots will not present you with any particular difficulties.
When planting seeds
- Better seeds plant immediately in open ground.
- The most good time for planting - July.
- The most important thing to do for the seeds before planting is to fertilize (add humus mixed with peat) and moisten the soil. The soil also needs to be loosened and dug up.
- Next, you should form small holes and place the seeds there, sprinkle with a small amount of sand (to form a thin layer of sand above the hole).
- It is advisable to cover the seeds with covering material. It will need to be removed in two weeks.
When planting cuttings and seedlings
- Prepare the soil - dig, loosen, fertilize and moisten.
- Plant it and the forget-me-not will take root.
Reproduction methods
You can grow forget-me-nots in the following ways:
- By using seeds. Before sowing, it is recommended to keep the seeds in salted water ( bad seeds will float up, and the rest can be planted). After three weeks, the first leaves will appear.
- Division. You can use this method of propagation, as the flowers easily take root in a new place. And the structure of the root system allows you to separate several small roots without harming the main rhizome.
- Bred varieties of forget-me-nots are good to propagate cuttings. It is better to cut them warm weather, in June. Then put it in water until the cuttings sprout. Then plant it in the soil.
- Can be used seedlings. Then the seeds are first planted in greenhouses or greenhouses in May-June. After 2-3 leaves appear, they pick (align the roots in the soil), and in August they are transplanted to permanent place.
Forget-me-nots in landscape design
Forget-me-not is widely used in various compositions for garden decoration. Its color gives the plantings lightness and at the same time richness, naturalness and romance.
- Garden ponds.
- Curbs.
- Flower beds, group plantings.
- Rockeries.
- Single flowerpots.
In addition, forget-me-nots serve as an excellent backdrop for photos. Thanks to nice color a light romantic atmosphere will reign in the photo.
What plants to be friends with
Forget-me-not goes well with many flowers:
- daffodils;
- pansies;
- tulips;
- ferns;
- daisies;
- ornithogalums.
One of the most traditional combinations includes forget-me-nots and tulips.
How to grow forget-me-nots (video)
As you can see, in the garden or front garden, forget-me-nots are simply necessary plants. They are unpretentious, that is, they will take root in any shaded place where you want. Caring for them will not take much time. And of course, they are incredibly beautiful. The soft blue color will delight you through at least the whole of May, and some varieties will flourish until late autumn. By planting such a plant, you will find a submissive long-liver in your flower beds.
Take a closer look at the little forget-me-not flower - it contains a whole world. The yellow center of the stamens is the Sun, and the blue petals are the Sky. Forget-me-not is a symbol of fidelity and good memory. Poems, songs, fairy tales and legends are written about her. According to one legend blue flowers Angels are scattered on Earth so that people do not forget about Heaven.
Forget-me-not is a genus of herbs of the Borage family. It has about 80 species growing in the temperate zone of Europe, Asia, America, the mountains of South Africa, and even Australia. About 30 species grow in Russia - these are annual or perennial herbaceous plants, mostly wet, shady places. The stem height is from 10 to 40 cm, the leaves are sessile and lanceolate in shape. Numerous flowers of blue, less often cream, pink or white, collected in an inflorescence - a curl.
The following types of forget-me-nots are used in floriculture:
Alpine forget-me-not, which is a perennial with low (5-15 cm) dense bushes and dark blue flowers. The light-loving plant grows wild on the slopes of rocks. It blooms starting in May for a month and a half, and reproduces well by sowing seeds. Many interesting varieties have been bred based on this species.
Forget-me-not swamp, also a perennial plant, highly branched up to 30 cm in height, the leaves are large, dark green, bluish flowers up to one and a half centimeters in diameter. It blooms from mid-May to early autumn; all faded shoots usually die off. Grows along the banks of rivers, reservoirs, and swamps. Swamp forget-me-not grows well on the moist substrate of shallow waters, growing quickly. The most spectacular variety "Thuringen", which has dark blue flowers, is used for decoration. artificial reservoirs, streams.
Alpine or garden forget-me-not, a typical perennial plant, often grown as a biennial. The unpretentious plant grows and blooms well both in a sunny place and in the shade, but partial shade is preferable for it. Easily tolerates spring frosts
(down to -5 °C) and short-term drought. It blooms from mid-May for a month. In July, the seeds ripen, fall off and produce dense shoots already in August. Garden forget-me-not varieties are quite diverse - they differ in plant height, flowering time and color. The most famous at present are: Rosilva, Carmen King and Victoria Rose with flowers of various shades of pink; Blue Bed, Compinidi, Victoria, Miro, Indigo compacta and Music with soft blue and dark blue flowers, as well as Blauer Korb, Blue Ball, Indigo, Ultramarine, the flowers of which are deep blue in color.
Forest forget-me-not, grows in natural conditions in forest areas. It produces sky-blue flowers reaching a centimeter in diameter and soft green leaves, a shade-loving and moisture-loving plant. Perennial in nature, grown as a biennial. It blooms from May for one and a half months. It has numerous cultivars distinguished by pink, pale blue or blue flowers.
Forget-me-not grows abundantly in natural conditions in the Swiss Alps. A perennial plant, cultivated only as a biennial. The flowers are quite large, dark blue or light blue. There are varieties with blue, pink and white flowers.
Usage.
Forget-me-nots are used for early spring decoration of city parks, gardens, summer cottages. Forget-me-not forms a fairly dense “carpet”, which very successfully prevents the growth of weeds, so the crop can be grown as a carpet plant in rock gardens, rock gardens, and it can also be sown in Moorish lawns. You just need to make sure that it doesn’t grow too much and doesn’t crowd out its neighbors. Group plantings of forget-me-nots in all kinds of flower beds, lawns near mini-ponds and streams look very beautiful. They are indispensable when decorating shady places in the garden, and forget-me-nots can also be placed in portable containers, pots, flowerpots; old barrels and carts are suitable. It all depends on the designer’s imagination, and the unpretentious forget-me-not will be a wonderful decoration for any corner of the garden. Forget-me-nots look great not only in a regular flowerbed, but also in glassed balcony, terrace, or simply on the windowsill, planted in ceramic pots, balcony boxes.
Forget-me-not goes well with other early flowering and decorative foliage plants: tulips, daffodils, pansies, daisies, violets, lily of the valley, ferns.
Tall varieties of forget-me-nots are used for cutting. At the same time, they dig up the entire bush with roots, wash them from the ground, and place them in a vase. Such a charming bouquet will decorate your home for almost two weeks.
IN medicinal purposes Forget-me-nots are harvested during flowering. Forget-me-not decoction reduces sweating, stops bleeding and inflammation.
Reproduction.
The simplest and most easily accessible method of propagating forget-me-nots is by sowing seeds in open ground. In the first year, a rosette of leaves is formed; forget-me-nots will bloom only in the summer of next year. Seeds are sown in May - June on previously prepared beds. The soil is dug up with the addition of humus and peat, and thoroughly leveled, because the seeds are quite small. Seeds are scattered over the surface of pre-moistened soil or shallow grooves are made with a distance of 10-15 cm. Seed placement depth is 5-6mm. If there is sufficient heat and moisture, seedlings appear within two weeks. When true leaves appear, the seedlings dive, and at the end of summer or spring, the grown plants can be transplanted to a permanent place. To reproduce valuable varieties Forget-me-nots use cuttings - in May-June, the tops of growing shoots 4-5 cm long are cut off and planted on shaded ridges for rooting. When cuttings, more than 90% of the cuttings take root, but this method of propagation cannot be called simple. Forget-me-not can be propagated by dividing the bush, having a superficial fibrous root system, it tolerates replanting well throughout the season, even during the flowering period.
Annual varieties of forget-me-nots (for example, Mon Ami Blue) are grown through seedlings. Seeds are sown in cassettes with soil, a light, well-drained sterilized substrate with a pH of 5.5–5.8 is taken (turf soil and river sand in a 2:1 ratio). The seeds do not fall asleep, as they germinate faster in the light and are highly moisturized. Before emergence, the temperature is maintained at 20-23°C, then (after 3-5 days) the temperature is reduced to 18...20°C during the day and 15°C at night. Further care for seedlings consists of timely watering (the substrate is watered when it dries slightly) and ensuring good lighting so that the plants grow compact. During this period, seedlings are fed with mineral fertilizers in low concentrations (in terms of nitrogen). After the first true leaves appear, the concentration of fertilizers can be increased. After 4 weeks, the stronger seedlings are transplanted into pots with a diameter of at least 10 centimeters or large cassettes. During the day the temperature is maintained at -15...20°C, at night - about 10°C, since for laying flower buds no cooling phase is needed and plants will bloom faster with more high temperatures. Light levels are still important. When watering, it is important not to get it on the leaves to prevent powdery mildew. Continue feeding with mineral fertilizers. Flowering occurs 9–13 weeks from the start of sowing, depending on temperature and light. At the end of April - beginning of May, the plants are transplanted to a permanent place.
Through seedlings you can grow and biennial varieties forget-me-nots Seeds are sown at the end of October in order to obtain mature plants in April - May. The technology for growing two-year-old seedlings is slightly different. To lay flower buds, plants need a cooling period; in March, the temperature is lowered to 5-7°C, watered moderately, and additional lighting if necessary; when flower stems appear, the temperature is raised to 15-17°C; after 3–5 weeks, flowering begins.
If you dig up a forget-me-not bush in the fall, plant it in a pot, keep it in winter at a temperature not lower than 0°C, and move it indoors in February, then from March to April you will enjoy blooming forget-me-nots.
Care.
Sites for planting forget-me-nots are chosen that are loose, moderately moist and nutritious soils, on too rich soils, plants “fatten” - intensive leaf growth to the detriment of flowering. They bloom and develop normally in shade and partial shade; in sunny areas, the flowering time is slightly reduced.
Forget-me-nots unpretentious plants, care consists of loosening and watering the soil. It is better to water at the root, without getting on the flowers and leaves. In order for the flowering to be long and bright, it is better not to allow the soil to dry out. From waterlogging, plants rot, stems stretch, and the plant loses decorative look. Therefore, the area where forget-me-nots grow should be well-ventilated and the soil loose. Forget-me-nots practically do not need weeding. It is better to remove faded inflorescences, the decorative appearance of the bush is preserved longer, self-seeding and clogging of other areas of the garden where planting of forget-me-nots was not planned is limited. For further propagation, it is better to leave a few of the most attractive plants until the seeds ripen, and then sow the freshly collected seeds in the area reserved for forget-me-nots; the remaining plants are removed from the flower garden after withering. Although many types of forget-me-nots are perennial, they are not grown in the garden for more than two years; already in the third year the plants lose their decorative appearance - the stems become elongated and the flowers become smaller.
In spring and autumn, it is advisable to feed the plants with mineral fertilizers (a teaspoon of urea, potassium sulfate and nitrophosphate per 10 liters of water) at the rate of 2 liters per 1 m2. Of the diseases and pests that pose a danger to forget-me-nots, cruciferous flea beetles, aphids, cutworms, slugs, powdery mildew and gray rot. For preventive purposes, do not plant next to cruciferous crops.
For the winter, plants are covered with leaves and spruce branches, but if the reserve of plants is large, you don’t have to cover them, the loss of plants is usually insignificant.
N. Khromov,
Ph.D. biol. sciences
Quite often this humble plant is called the “Queen of May.” One of the legends says that these blue flowers are scattered across the earth by angels so that people at least occasionally remember heaven.
In addition, despite the fact that the name of the flower is noticeably different in different languages, among all nations it has practically the same meaning - “forget me not.” In this article we will talk about how to grow such a touching perennial that symbolizes devotion and fidelity as the garden forget-me-not.
Botanical characteristics Forget-me-not garden blue, alpine and any other belongs to the genus of forget-me-nots (Myosotis) of the Borage family (Boraginaceae). In total, there are about 80 species in the genus Myosotis, and 30 of them grow in our country. Other types of forget-me-nots can be found in temperate climate Europe and America, Asia and South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.
Forget-me-nots are herbaceous plants that prefer moist and shaded areas. The height of the highly branched stem of this plant can vary from 10 to 40 cm. It has sessile leaves of a pointed lanceolate shape. The petals of its many flowers can be colored blue, blue, pink, white and even cream. Garden forget-me-not forms racemose inflorescences. It blooms from May to mid-July, after which it forms fruits - nuts, in which black, very small oval-shaped seeds ripen. When the fruits crack, the seeds fall to the ground and germinate. As a result of such self-seeding, quite strong seedlings, capable of overwintering in our winter conditions.
Types for the garden
Despite the great species diversity and many different modern varieties, in floriculture and ornamental gardening The most commonly used forget-me-nots are: marsh (Myosotis palustris); forest (M. caespitosa); alpine (M. alpestris); open-flowered (M. dissitiflora); alpine garden (M. x hybrida hort). In gardens, the most common cultural form is the alpine forget-me-not.
Based on it and the species listed above, today various hybrids have been created and many varieties have been bred, differing not only in the color of the petals. Popular varieties Today, garden forget-me-nots with flowers painted in various shades of pink are popular: Victoria Rose. Rosilv. Carmen King. Pink dawn. Hope. Blue and blue garden forget-me-nots are always in demand, the cultivation of which is exactly the same as for flowers of other colors.
Quite widespread are dark blue varieties such as Blue King, Indigo, Blue Basket, and Ultramarine. Lovers of sky blue and light blue colors will be pleased with such varieties of garden forget-me-nots as Music, Blue Dali, Compinidi, Miro, Victoria, Pompadour.
Choosing a place
A plant such as garden forget-me-not prefers loose, moderately nutritious and moist soils with good drainage in light shade. The flower can grow in the sun, but most fully decorative qualities it manifests itself precisely in partial shade. You should not plant forget-me-nots on very rich soils, as the plant begins to “fatten” and forms a powerful bush that practically does not bloom. Beautiful garden forget-me-not: planting and care delicate flower can be propagated by the most in different ways. You can sow seeds directly into open ground or grow seedlings or divide the formed bush. In the case of particularly rare varietal specimens, propagation by cuttings is possible. The most easily accessible way to propagate garden forget-me-nots is by growing them from seeds directly in open ground.
This planting is carried out on the warm and dry days of June or July, having previously prepared the soil on the site: they dig up the soil, add about 30 g of nitrophoska and 3-4 kg of humus mixed with peat per 1 m2. Then top layer The soil is dug up again, leveled and well shed with water. After that, shallow furrows are made in the soil, where tiny forget-me-not seeds are sown. They are sprinkled with fine river sand on top and carefully compacted. The plantings are covered with non-woven covering material or film and left there for two weeks. Depending on temperature and other external factors Shoots appear, as a rule, this occurs after 14 days. They are opened and thinned out. In the first year, the plants will form only a rosette of leaves, but will bloom in the second year after planting.
Reproduction through seedlings
Usually, growing garden forget-me-nots through seedlings is carried out for annual varieties, such as, for example, Mon Ami Blue. Seeds are sown superficially in prepared containers with well-moistened soil in late March - early April. They make a special one for seedlings soil mixture, consisting of small river sand and turf soil in a ratio of 1:2. Before emergence, containers with seeds, covered with glass or polyethylene, are kept at a temperature of +20... +23 0C, and after five days it is lowered to +18... +20 0C. All this time, the seedlings should be well lit.
After the sprouts appear, you can fertilize with weak solutions of mineral fertilizers and water as the top layer of soil dries. In May, seedlings, often already with buds, are planted in open ground, protecting them for the first time both from the scorching sun and from returning frosts. By the end of July, the plants will have flowered and their seeds will have ripened.
We create conditions
After the plant has been planted in a permanent place, it needs to be provided with moderate regular watering and fertilizing with mineral fertilizers. When watering, you should try not to get water on the plant itself, but direct the stream closer to the roots.
The first feeding is carried out before flowering, approximately 14 days after planting the plant in a permanent place. Complex mineral fertilizers dissolved in water according to the instructions are suitable for this purpose. In the fall, both organic and mineral fertilizers are added to the soil under the forget-me-nots, and in the spring, a small, about 5 cm, layer of peat-humus mixture or well-rotted compost mixed with garden soil is added under the bushes. It's important to remember that garden forget-me-not quite aggressive and spreads quickly by self-seeding. To prevent this, you should immediately remove faded branches, thereby preventing the setting of seeds and their further unauthorized “movement” around your site.
There are many attractive plants that you can grow on your own personal plot. But some crops are familiar to almost every person, and therefore are of interest to many beginners and experienced gardeners. This is exactly the case with the forget-me-not, which can be found in the wild. In ornamental gardening, some varieties of this plant are used, on which attractive inflorescences of blue, blue, white, pink or lilac flowers with yellow center. So, the topic of our conversation today will be forget-me-not flowers, planting and caring for this plant, and we will clarify how it is grown from seeds.
Growing forget-me-nots from seeds
You can grow forget-me-nots either through seedlings or using the seedless method. At the same time, forget-me-nots are mainly grown from seeds. Most often they are grown as biennial plant.
Prepared seeds must be dipped in slightly salted water. Pop-up planting material you need to throw it away, most likely it won’t be able to germinate. The remaining seeds must be dried and scattered over the surface of moist soil. You can sprinkle a little earth on top of them - literally three millimeters - and spray them with a spray bottle.
The first seedlings appear literally after five to six days. When growing seedlings, you need to carefully ensure that the soil does not dry out. Moisturizing is best done by spraying. Crops should be kept in a room with a temperature of ten to twenty degrees.
After one or two true leaves appear on the seedlings, it is necessary to transfer them to pots or boxes filled with a damp peat mixture. The optimal interval between young forget-me-nots is five centimeters.
In order for plants to grow and develop well, readers of Popular About Health need to provide them with sufficient moisture. Lighting plays a secondary role, since forget-me-nots are rather shade-tolerant flowers.
Planting forget-me-nots in open ground
Forget-me-not seedlings are grown until the plants grow to four to five centimeters in height. Afterwards, you can plant the seedlings in a place of permanent growth with an interval of fifteen to twenty centimeters.
Some sources indicate that young forget-me-nots should be planted in open ground at the end of August. Plants will bloom on next year after sowing the seeds - in May-June.
Distinctive feature Forget-me-nots – resistance to transplantation. After moving to open ground, almost all plants survive. But it is extremely important to water them thoroughly after transplanting.
In order for forget-me-nots to please the eye with attractive blooms, you need to choose the right place to plant them in your garden. Such crops grow best in partial shade; they also do well in shaded areas.
As for soil requirements, forget-me-nots prefer moderately moist meadow soil. Excessive nutritional content of the soil does not suit them at all, because in this case the plants begin to actively increase their green mass, and flowering becomes rare and short-lived. A poor woman would also be a bad choice sandy soil. And growing in a swampy or too damp area will cause the flower to hurt and become excessively elongated. So it is best to grow forget-me-nots in moderately moist soil, adding a small amount of fertilizer.
After the forget-me-not blooms, its seeds quickly fall to the ground. Therefore, young seedlings may well germinate under the mother plants. They can be transplanted to another location next year.
Features of forget-me-not care
Forget-me-nots growing in shade and partial shade need moderate watering. It should be done after the soil has dried a little.
As for fertilizers, this flower does not need them very often. Young forget-me-nots need to be fed approximately two weeks after planting in August. For this purpose, it is necessary to use liquid mineral fertilizers. In autumn it is also necessary to feed the plant with peat and humus in small quantities.
Forget-me-nots grow well in water- and breathable soil. To maintain such soil characteristics, it is necessary to provide it with periodic loosening. But it should be as neat as possible. And there is practically no need to weed the planting, because the powerful fibrous root system Forget-me-nots prevent weeds from breaking through.
During the winter, crops must be mulched and protected from frost with special materials, for example, agril or ordinary spruce branches.
Forget-me-nots rarely suffer from pests. However, it can be affected by fungal pathologies: gray and root rot, as well as true or downy mildew.
The optimal means Rot therapy is considered to be spraying plants with the drug “Hom”. For ten liters of water you should take forty grams this tool. To eliminate powdery mildew experienced gardeners It is recommended to use the fungicide “Skor” - a couple of milliliters should be diluted in a bucket of water.
Forget-me-nots can also be attacked by aphids, cruciferous flea beetles and slugs. To eliminate pests, insecticides are sprayed.
Forget-me-not is a very attractive flower that can be grown on almost any garden plot. You just need to follow the care recommendations described above.
Forget-me-not - gentle, small flower, which is interspersed with a blue droplet floral carpet. This plant is loved by almost all peoples; there are many legends, poems and songs about it. It is no coincidence that Forget-Me-Not is also called the “Queen of May”. In her honor, holidays were held in some countries. For example, in Germany on the day of Forget-Me-Not celebration educational institutions Lessons were shortened so that schoolchildren could go into the forest, play, take part in competitions and quizzes, and then return with a small bouquet of blue flowers.
Legend associated with the name Forget-me-nots
Associated with the name of the flower beautiful legend. In ancient times, the goddess of flowers named Flora decided to give names to flowers. Almost all plants were gifted beautiful names. Flora was pleased, but suddenly she heard a thin voice coming from somewhere below asking her to give him a name. Flora looked around, but saw no one. As soon as the goddess decided to leave, the request was repeated again. Flora bent down and then noticed a small blue flower among the forbs.
- You will be a Forget-Me-Not! - exclaimed the goddess. - And you will also be endowed with great power - the ability to return memory to people who begin to forget their native roots, homeland.
It is no coincidence that for many peoples the Forget-Me-Not is a symbol eternal love, memory, friendship.
Description of Forget-me-nots
Forget-me-not belongs to the Burachnikov family. About 80 species of Forget-me-nots are known. It is a herbaceous plant that grows mainly in moist, slightly shaded areas.
The stem of Forget-me-not is highly branched. Depending on the type, Forget-me-not bushes reach from 10 cm to 40 cm. The leaves are sessile, lance-shaped. The flowers are mostly blue, but thanks to breeders, today you can see garden forget-me-not with white, pink, and cream flowers. Flowers are collected in racemose inflorescences.
The flowering period of Forget-me-nots is May - mid-July. The fruit has the shape of a nut. It is in it that small black and oval-shaped seeds ripen. When the nut opens, the seeds fall to the ground and germinate. Self-sowing produces strong seedlings that can survive the winter in our winter conditions.
Agricultural technology for growing Forget-me-nots
Forget-me-not is a shade- and moisture-loving plant. Considering this fact, the area for its cultivation should be loose, moderately fertilized, moist, but always equipped with drainage system. It should be located in partial shade. If you plant Forget-Me-Not in an open sunny area, it will grow, but due to direct sun rays may get burned, and the flowers will not be bright and beautiful.
The soil should not be overfed with fertilizers, otherwise the bushes will become powerful, but you may not wait for flowering.
How to grow Forget-me-not from seeds?
You can grow Forget-me-not by sowing seeds both in open ground and through seedlings.
Before sowing, the seeds are dipped in slightly salted water. Those seeds that float are discarded, the rest, after drying, can be sown.
Since Forget-me-not is a biennial herbaceous plants, sowing seeds for seedlings is carried out in May-June. Seedling box filled with soil. It is desirable that it be loose and moderately fertile. The soil is moistened, seeds are laid out on top and sprinkled with a little sand or soil. The seedling box is covered with glass or film. Growing Forget-Me-Nots at Home
The soil in the box should always be slightly moist. Watering is best done from a spray bottle. After a few days (5-6 days), the seeds will begin to germinate. From this period, the film (glass) is removed from the seedling box.
After about 3-4 weeks, when the sprouts have 2-3 leaves, diving is carried out. Weaker seedlings are selected and transplanted into separate containers (1-3 seedlings per 1 bowl).
Important! To keep Forget-Me-Not bushes neat and compact, they should be grown in partial shade, and for better tillering, the tops should be pinched.
On initial stage During seedling development, it should be fed once every 15 days with complex soluble mineral fertilizers. After the bushes form a dense leaf rosette, and this happens around the end of August-beginning of September, the seedlings can be planted in a permanent place. The distance between bushes should be from 15 cm to 25 cm.
As a rule, Forget-me-not seedlings take root well in a new place, since the plant tolerates transplantation from one place to another very well.
For the winter, young Forget-me-not bushes are covered with spruce branches or mulched with peat and fallen leaves.
Caring for Forget-me-not
Forget-me-not is very unpretentious. Caring for it comes down to timely watering (the main thing is that water does not get on the green parts of the plant), loosening the soil.
In case of plant disease powdery mildew, rot or the appearance of aphids on it, the bushes are treated with appropriate chemicals.