Garden forget-me-not - wonderful decoration for a cultivated area. About fifty varieties and hybrids of this flower have common feature- delicate color and attractive appearance. Growing low-growing forget-me-nots is relevant where you need to decorate in the form of a dense colored carpet. Planting and caring for plants in open ground has some features and tricks. Knowing them will help you grow a flower without problems.
Description: varieties and varieties of garden forget-me-nots
Forget-me-not is a herbaceous plant pleasing to the eye. The vast majority of its varieties and varieties bloom at the end of spring and the first days of summer. A flower cultivated for the garden, which is also called sapling, mouse ear, or gourd, is usually a perennial. But its cultivation is advisable only in a two-year format. Subsequently, the plant grows greatly and loses its decorative effect: the stems become elongated and the inflorescences become very thin.
Breeders have developed about a hundred varieties and hybrids of forget-me-nots. Gardeners in the Russian Federation often plant those obtained from field and marsh varieties. IN lately Alpine or garden forget-me-not is becoming more and more popular. Previously, it could be seen in pots on the windowsill, and now in open ground. The homeland of this variety is the Alps, Carpathians and the Caucasus.
Forget-me-nots blooming
Characteristics and distinctive features alpine forget-me-not:
- The stem is short, 5-15 cm. The branching is strong.
- The leaves are medium-sized, rounded with a pointed end. Color - gray-green.
- The roots are short and shallow.
- The flowers are small and densely dotted on the shoots. Garden forget-me-not blooms for about 7 weeks, starting in May.
- After flowering (in July), small smooth boxes with a large number seeds If you collect them and sow them, by August the plant will sprout new shoots.
Native color garden forget-me-not- deep blue. Currently, many varieties have been bred that differ in petal color, flowering period and stem height. Most in demand:
- Carmine King, Rosylva, Victoria Rose - petals different shades pink;
- Compinidi, Miro, Blue Bird, Indigo Compacta, Victoria, Music - shades of blue;
- Blauer Korb, Indigo, Amethyst, and Blue Ball have deep blue petals.
Advice. There are also varieties with purple, white, and cream petals. There are many of them. Base your choice on descriptions of characteristics and photos of plants. Flowers are no different in terms of growing technology and care.
Forget-me-not: planting a plant
This culture loves the sun, but it is still better to plant it in partial shade. Then the color will become saturated. Forget-me-nots are often planted with seeds in open ground because the plant demonstrates excellent germination. It is best to plant in July. The crop will bloom next year.
Prepare the soil. The soil should be nutritious, loose, light and have good drainage. The latter can be done manually by digging several medium-sized stones into the area at a depth of half a meter. It is noteworthy that forget-me-not does not love too much nutrient soils. In such conditions, the plant will bloom poorly, but will grow greatly. But depleted sandy soils are also not suitable for it.
Attention! The soil at the place where forget-me-nots are planted should not be prone to stagnation of moisture. The plant will be sickly and lose its decorative appearance. The soil should be moderately moist. It should be maintained in this state with watering and other care measures.
The planting process consists of the following stages:
- Dig up the ridge.
- Apply fertilizer - humus in combination with peat. Norm: up to 5 kg per 1 sq. m.
- Add nitrophoska: 1 tbsp. l. per 1 sq. m.
- Dig the area again, level and lightly compact the surface.
- Make shallow grooves. Scatter the seeds and lightly sprinkle them with sand. The distance between landing points is 10 cm.
- Gently press down the soil with your hand. Pull the covering material over the top.
The color of forget-me-not petals will be brighter in partial shade
With proper care, seedlings will appear in about 2 weeks. Remove the protection and thin out the seedlings. The sprouts can also be transplanted. Keep a distance of 5 cm between them. At the beginning of autumn, all forget-me-not bushes should be planted on permanent place.
Care, fertilizer and feeding of forget-me-nots. Diseases and pests
Warp proper care for the plant - watering, fertilizing and thinning. In addition to waterlogging, which can lead to rotting of the roots, forget-me-nots do not tolerate drought well. Organize watering so as to prevent the top layer of soil from drying out, otherwise the plant will quickly bloom. Try not to get water on the greens.
To ensure abundant and bright flowering, regularly feed the garden bed. Apply mineral complexes fertilizers for flowers. Apply the first small volume of solution 2 weeks after planting the plant in its permanent location. Later in the fall, add organic matter and mineral fertilizers. Next spring, spread a mixture of compost and peat in a 3-5 cm layer in the flower garden.
Attention! Garden forget-me-not tolerates winter well. But in the absence of snow and during severe frosts plants may be damaged, so many owners prefer to cover the flower bed.
Diseases and pests in open ground conditions torment the garden forget-me-not only if the technology of cultivation and reproduction is violated. Care and attention are important: do not allow the planting to thicken by regularly thinning the flower garden. Otherwise, powdery mildew, root or gray rot, insect pests typical of flowers. For the latter, use insecticides, and to combat diseases, use drugs like Hom or Skor.
Don't let the soil dry out
Forget-me-not: propagation, combination with other plants
Seeds are the most popular material for propagation of forget-me-nots. Before planting, check them by dipping them in salted water. Floated samples are not ready for planting. The plant also grows effectively by self-seeding, so annual sowing in the flower bed is not necessary. The main thing is to have time to plant young plants.
Other options for propagating the crop:
- Cuttings. In early summer, cut from the tops green cuttings 4-5 cm each. Root them in the greenhouse, then plant them in open ground. As a result, the plant will bloom in the first season, but weakly and for a short period.
- Plant division. Such propagation can be carried out at any time of the year. The root system of the plant is strong and quite developed.
Alpine forget-me-not is simply created for
Forget-me-not growing from seeds when to plant? Forget-me-not can be considered one of the most popular flowers that grow in our areas and not only. This spring beauty is also loved in Europe, with entire flower beds dedicated to it.
Its name has long been overgrown with legends, and the variety of varieties allows it to be used for both single and group plantings. One of the most popular and romantic legends says that a couple in love, walking along a cliff, came across beautiful flower, the guy decided to tear it off, but fell from the mountain. Flying down, he only managed to shout: “Don’t forget me!”
Since then, the flower began to be called forget-me-not. The blue forget-me-not looks most advantageous in the garden in combination with tulips, daffodils and chrysanthemums. In our article we will talk about growing forget-me-nots from seeds.
What you will learn from this material:
General forget-me-nots
Forget-me-not is a one-, two- and perennial plant of the borage family. The genus contains about 50 species growing in damp places Europe, Asia, America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Forget-me-not stems are branched, reaching a height of 10–40 cm. The leaves are green, sessile, lanceolate, linear-lanceolate or spatulate.
The flowers are collected in an inflorescence-curl; blue with yellow center, sometimes pink or white. The fruit is a nut. 1 g contains 1500–2000 black shiny seeds. They germinate 2–3 weeks after sowing. Most often grown as annuals.
Types of forget-me-nots 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:
- swamp (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.
Forget-me-not sowing dates
Sometimes forget-me-nots are grown as an annual. More often this is done by specialized greenhouse farms. This allows you to have flowering seedlings early in the spring, and depending on the timing of sowing - even in the winter months.
A modern variety of annual forget-me-not is Mon Ami Blue. Sometimes annual forget-me-nots are grown by amateur gardeners. The advantage of this method is the ability to get a flowering plant in the first year after sowing. When forget-me-not seeds are sown in late February-early March, flowering occurs in July-August.
Reproduction of forget-me-nots
The plant is grown by seeds or cuttings as an annual, biennial and perennial. Cuttings are suitable for propagating varietal forget-me-nots. In early June, you need to cut off the green shoots at the top of the bush (about 5 cm).
They are planted immediately in open ground, shaded and covered with film. Water carefully, trying not to get on the leaves. For better tillering, pinch the top a little. Plants propagated in this way bloom in the same season, but not for long. For the winter, the plant is covered with spruce branches or peat.
It can also be propagated by dividing the bush. You can propagate forget-me-not flowers by dividing the bush into several parts. Transplantation can be done at any time of the year - root system The flower is very strong and can easily take root.
Forget-me-not, having a fibrous root system, tolerates replanting well at any age, even with buds and flowers. In wet weather it takes root easily.
Choosing a place to plant forget-me-nots
In order for forget-me-nots and its flowers to delight you when growing at home, you need not only to choose the most suitable type for you, but also to plant it correctly. 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. It is a mistake to believe that the sun will increase the flowering period - on the contrary, from bright sunlight the flower petals will “burn.”
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.
Sowing forget-me-nots in open ground
At the beginning of summer, forget-me-not seeds are sown in furrows 50 cm deep, covered with sand and covered.
After a couple of weeks, when young shoots appear, thinning is carried out, leaving a gap of 10 cm between plants, and the cover is removed. At the end of August, the grown bushes are transplanted to a permanent place. For a dense carpet of forget-me-nots, planting is carried out according to a 15x15 cm pattern, 2-3 pieces per hole.
Caring for forget-me-nots
Forget-me-nots need constant moisture, so water regularly but moderately, trying not to get it on the leaves. Overmoistening leads to rotting of the roots, and drought leads to rapid flowering. Remove weeds and faded inflorescences, leaving only a few for further propagation.
Forget-me-nots respond well to feeding. The first is carried out 2 weeks after transplanting the seedlings to a permanent place with light mineral fertilizer, and in the fall - with diluted mullein (1:10) and mulching with a layer of up to 4 cm.
After flowering, collect the seed pods before they open (June) so that you can plant forget-me-nots with seeds next year. If you want to add plantings to the Moorish lawn, then after flowering, cut off the flower stalks and scatter them over the lawn.
In the spring, the seeds will germinate and new young plants will appear. Forget-me-not flowers are also used for cutting. To ensure they last a long time, cut off shoots with unopened buds.
Forget-me-nots can withstand frosts down to -5°C, then they need to be covered with peat or spruce branches.
Diseases and pests of forget-me-nots
Aphids appear on the underside of leaves. It will help to get rid of it (2 g per 10 sq.m.) or other methods of combating aphids. Cutworms, flea beetles and slugs may also appear. Mealy white coating indicates the presence of real powdery mildew.
It appears when planted tightly or in excessively dry soil. If the disease has overcome the plant, use fungicides and insecticides to combat it. To speed up growth, you can fertilize flowers with compost, peat or nitrogen.
Forget-me-nots in landscape design
Forget-me-nots look gorgeous in flower beds, flowerbeds, pots and balconies. They are often planted in groups near water. In Europe, the combination of forget-me-nots with daffodils and tulips is common. Forget-me-not looks good in borders and rockeries. In this case, you need to monitor it and prevent it from growing.
Forget-me-not goes well with lily of the valley. It is often placed near trees. A successful combination of forget-me-nots and biennials is based on the principle of color contrast. Typically, such flower beds are easy to organize.
Organizing such flower beds does not require much work. Forget-me-not flowers are good for cutting. In this case, the entire bush is used when making bouquets. A cut forget-me-not will please the eye in a vase for two weeks.
Forget-me-nots grow best in shade and partial shade, but they can also feel good in sunny areas, but in this case the duration of their flowering is reduced to 20 days. They grow well in moist, fertilized soils. Too rich, especially fertilized fresh manure soils cause active growth leaves, thereby disrupting the rhythm of seasonal growth and development. Forget-me-nots are moisture-loving and, with insufficient moisture, quickly fade.
In drought they require abundant watering. But waterlogging the soil is also undesirable, as this can lead to rotting of the plants or their stems will become very elongated. Therefore, good drainage must be provided in the area where forget-me-nots grow.?
In English, forget-me-not is called forget-me-not, in German - Vergissmeinnicht, which translated means: “Don't forget me!” Plants respond well to the application of organic and mineral fertilizers. Fertilizer with ammonium nitrate (10 g per 1 m2), superphosphate (15 g), and potassium salt (5 g) is required. You can use mullein infusion (1 part per 10 liters of water) and a mixture of compost and peat.
Forget-me-not. Reproduction and growth characteristics
All forget-me-nots reproduce well by seeds. Sowing is done in cold greenhouses in May-June. Flowers are planted in a permanent place at the end of August or next spring. In addition, forget-me-nots produce abundant self-sowing. Varietal forget-me-nots are propagated by cuttings.
The tops of growing shoots 4-5 cm long are taken for cuttings in May-June. They are planted in ridges and shaded. Since forget-me-nots have a superficial fibrous root system, they tolerate replanting well throughout the season, even during flowering. If it is necessary to obtain flowering specimens in the spring, then the seeds are sown in October - November.
To do this, take a box, pot or milk bag with a hole at the bottom and fill it with soil (2/3 - turf soil, 1/3 - river sand). Before sowing, the soil is shed with a pink solution of potassium permanganate. Sow seeds scattered over the soil surface.
You should not bury the seeds, as they will germinate faster. Before sowing, the seeds can be dipped in lightly salted water. Those that float to the surface must be thrown away.
Seeds that have sunk to the bottom are washed clean water, dried and sown, lightly sprinkled with light soil and compacted with a plank. After 4-6 days, seedlings appear. Until this time, the boxes are covered with paper, which is used to water them. After the seedlings have 1-2 true leaves, they begin to plant them in boxes or pots with peat soil.
They dive at a distance of 3-4 cm. The boxes are placed in a cold greenhouse, but in March they are transferred to warm room. Since forget-me-not is shade-tolerant plant, then it does not need additional lighting.
But it is necessary to constantly maintain soil moisture. At the end of April, forget-me-nots can be planted in flower beds, and in May they will delight with their flowering. After flowering ends (June, July), the plants lose their decorative properties. Therefore, until the seeds ripen, you should leave no more than 2-3 copies. The remaining plants are removed from the flower garden.
Problems during cultivation
Forget-me-nots do not cause problems when growing. However, in order to prevent them from getting sick, it is necessary to follow some rules: avoid dense plantings, regularly loosen the soil and water, while avoiding waterlogging. If the rules are violated, forget-me-nots can be affected by various diseases (gray and root rot, true and downy mildew).
Powdery mildew is treated by spraying with fungicides (2 ml per 10 liters of water). Pests of forget-me-nots are aphids, cruciferous flea beetles, cutworms and slugs. You can fight them by spraying with insecticides. Use in decoration Plants are indispensable for decorating flower beds and balconies early spring.
They also look very nice in groups near the water. Forget-me-not in a group with tulips, daffodils - common spring flower beds V European countries. The plant looks good in borders.
In addition, forget-me-nots are planted in rockeries. At the same time, it is important to ensure that it does not grow. Forget-me-not looks very good next to the lily of the valley, as well as under the trees. Contrasting biennial plants go well with forget-me-nots.
Organizing such flower beds does not require much work. Forget-me-nots look great not only in flower beds, but also in pots or boxes. The flowers are suitable for cutting. It is better to make a bouquet using the entire bush.
Forget-me-nots will last about two weeks in a vase.
Growing Forget-Me-Not Flowers and Turkish Carnation Flowers
Spring has come and it's time to think about decorating your garden. We will tell you how to decorate your garden with flowers forget-me-nots and Turkish cloves . Let's start with descriptions of growing from seeds, let's finish with a description care for forget-me-nots and Turkish cloves.
So, let's go! Growing Forget-Me-Not Flowers and Turkish Carnation Flowers. First of all, let's talk about the most delicate spring flowers- forget-me-nots. Very good are the low, lush bushes of forget-me-nots, covered with blue flowers.
Flowerbeds planted with forget-me-nots are spectacular. In the central part of the country they bloom in May and early June, on Far East- Later. Grow forget-me-nots from seeds, sowing them in spring or before winter in a specially designated plot.
Care is the same as for pansies. Forget-me-nots also reproduce by self-sowing. Forget-me-not bushes planted in flowering pots bloom well within two to three weeks. Remember this and grow forget-me-not bushes blooming in pots.
Growing Turkish Carnation
Many people love Turkish carnation flowers(it’s much easier to buy it). They are very diverse in their color. Quite small double and single flowers of carnation are collected in lush inflorescences - “caps” located on the stem.
Turkish carnation blooms in early July - in warm regions, when there are usually few flowering plants. In the Khabarovsk Territory, Vladivostok or Amur Region, carnations bloom while most of the flowers are opening. Carnations grow best in open, sunny places.
The soil for them should be well fertilized. Sowing Turkish cloves This culture is carried out in the spring or before winter. Turkish carnation seedlings are grown in the same way as pansy seedlings.
Turkish carnation can be propagated by cuttings and layering, which makes it possible to preserve especially beautiful varieties. Cuttings are usually taken after the plants have flowered. The cuttings are planted in boxes filled with earth and sand.
Rooted cuttings are planted in flower beds or ridges in August. The following year, the rooted cuttings bloom profusely. Perennials are especially valuable in the flower garden. ornamental plants. They, as the name itself shows, grow in one place for several years (from four to eight), and they do not need to be grown from seeds every year
Growing perennial flowers from seeds
By planting various perennials in the flower garden, you can late autumn have beautiful flowering plants. We must strive to ensure that the best perennials grow in every flower garden. The easiest way to grow perennials is from seeds.
This growing method will make it possible to obtain a large number of plants in short term. Perennials such as those given below grow well for several years.
List of perennial flowers:
Forget-me-nots - planting and care
Forget-me-not from the Burachnikov family is often called the Queen of May. Sky-hued clearings appear late spring on forest edges and meadows, but these are wild species. Many flower growers are already accustomed to the fact that their area is invariably decorated with a variety of decorative forget-me-nots; planting and caring for them always pays off handsomely. A pretty plant will enrich the range of flowering with spectacular delicate touches.
It is not for nothing that in many languages the essence of the name of a modest beauty is preserved - “don’t forget me.” Hybrid species, and in floriculture they are used, at least 50.
There are, of course, many more varieties. The flowers can be blue, light blue, pink, purple, cream, white and even with a tiny yellow center. The height of the plants also differs, for example, the alpine forget-me-not rarely reaches 20 centimeters, and the garden one easily reaches 35 cm. It usually blooms from May to the end of June. All varieties are distinguished by genetic plasticity, i.e. When grown from seeds, they retain their properties.
However, most flower growers are already convinced that even perennial forget-me-not longer than two years will not please. The inflorescences will become sparse, the stems will become excessively elongated.
Growing forget-me-nots
Planting of any type is not much different, but different care may be required. There are more moisture-loving and less shade-tolerant representatives.
For example, garden hybrids of alpine forget-me-nots feel great in the sun, and swamp forget-me-nots in such conditions will quickly fade and lose their decorative properties. Before you begin propagation, it is advisable to study the requirements of the species that you are going to “settle” in your garden. Often choose a slightly shaded area.
The soil needs to be loose, light, well-drained, without harmful stagnation of water. The easiest way is to plant forget-me-not seeds, directly into open ground. Best time- July. Pre-prepare the soil.
The area is dug up, humus and peat are added: no more than 5 kilograms for each square meter plus a little nitrophoska, about a tablespoon. Then you need to lightly dig up the ground again and level it. Tiny seeds are placed in shallow grooves, sprinkled with sand, and after carefully compacting, covering material is placed on top.
After about 14 days, when the shoots appear, the material is removed and the seedlings are thinned out. They begin growing forget-me-not seedlings in April. The plant is quite persistent and almost all seedlings take root well.
In July, the plantings will have already faded and ripened seeds will appear. They retain germination for up to 3 years, often germinate on their own and form persistent seedlings that can even survive the winter. Forget-me-not bushes can be safely divided, and at any age.
It has a fibrous root system that adapts remarkably well to transplantation and does not experience rooting difficulties. Varietal plants They also propagate well from cuttings. It is better to cut off the 4-5 centimeter long tops in June, during warm weather.
They will quickly take root in the greenhouse.
Care
When overwatered, the plant will stretch upward too intensely, then the roots will begin to rot. If you let it dry out, you won’t have time to stop admiring it - the forget-me-not will quickly fade. Regular but moderate watering should be provided.
The stream is directed low, almost to the ground. The plant needs systematic feeding. It is advisable to provide the easiest one 14 days after the forget-me-not is transplanted to a permanent place, always before the flowering period.
Solutions of mineral fertilizers from the store are suitable. In the fall, organic and mineral fertilizers are also applied, and in the spring a thin layer (3-5 centimeters) of a mixture of compost and peat is added. In late autumn, forget-me-nots can be protected from frost and left in the same bed.
If the winter is snowless, the plants may freeze, but usually they tolerate the cold well. Sometimes they are transplanted to a permanent place at the end of September, 3 pieces per hole. Then next year a thick flowering carpet will appear.
Where to plant
The most successful use of forget-me-nots is landscape design- group plantings with harmoniously selected shades of flowers. Swamp forget-me-not will decorate the lawn near the pond.
Various hybrids of Alpine forget-me-not will become good choice for rockeries. Forest forget-me-not will transform the border, and make a shady corner in the garden very natural and romantic. Low growing varieties often planted as ground cover.
In a bright flower garden, the plant goes well with daffodils, daisies that bloom early, tulips, delicate pansies and ferns. Plantings will not look so attractive after the flowering period; they will begin to turn black and dry out. Then the bushes can be removed and replaced with other plants that bloom until late autumn. Forget-me-nots are often grown in flowerpots or baskets for landscaping balconies, verandas and terraces. Garden forget-me-not varieties are suitable for cutting and arranging picturesque summer bouquets. The most common are three varieties of this amazing beauty flower:
- Nemophila spotted. Nemophila Mencis. Nemophila excellent.
The spotted nemophila variety can reach a height of 20 centimeters. Her flowers are colored white, against which small spots of purple are scattered.
Among the varieties of this variety, the most popular among gardeners is “Barbara,” which is popularly simply called “Ladybug.” The flowers of this variety resemble a bell, which can reach from 3 to 5 centimeters in diameter. The Mencis variety differs from the spotted form not only in flowers, but also in leaves.
The most common variety of this variety is “Black Penny” or “Shepherdess”. Although her flowers are not as large as those of " Ladybug", but more beautiful, since each petal is colored bright purple, has a white edging. Of the Nemophila excellent variety, the most popular are flowers painted in bright blue, which resembles the color of children's eyes.
Forget-me-not blue planting and care
That is why this variety is called “baby blue eyes”. How to grow these plants and care for them?
Growing from seeds
This plant is very easy to grow at home directly from seeds. It is unpretentious to living conditions, so it can be sown both in well-lit areas of the soil and in shaded areas.
Although those who have been growing nemophila for many years now recommend planting it in areas with plenty of sun, since here the plants grow stronger and there are many more flowers. The soil on the site should be loose, fertile and with good water absorption. The plant can be planted at different times of the year (starting in March, since these flowers are not afraid of frost, and ending in July). Seeds that fell into the ground in early spring will provide you with flowering already at the beginning of summer, and those that were planted in summer will bloom only in autumn. When placing seeds in the ground to a depth of 5 mm, maintain a distance of 10 to 20 cm between them, which will allow during the flowering period, you can create a continuous “carpet” of plants - in the video there are luxurious nemophilas in a flowerbed.
Never try to grow a plant from seeds planted in soil in room conditions. You won't succeed. This way you will only destroy the seeds.
The fact is that this flower does not tolerate transplantation in any form - even by transferring it from a container.
Nemophila care
Do not think that since the plant is considered very unpretentious, it does not need care. On the contrary, as soon as the seeds hit the ground, they need to be watered abundantly, since the plant really loves moist soil. If the weather during the growing period is hot, then care must be taken to ensure that the roots of the plant do not lack moisture. To do this, mulch the soil and water it regularly. Weeds that have grown in the flowerbed along with the flowers must be removed so that they not only do not spoil the appearance of your flower garden, but also do not interfere normal development flowers.
A remarkable property of this plant is that it has absolutely no enemies among insects. Therefore it does not need processing various drugs for pest control.
One more remarkable property this amazing plant is that it easily coexists on one piece of land with any other. Therefore, you can create a diverse palette of species in your flower garden by planting nemophila along with a variety of annual flowers. Clubs covered with a continuous carpet of:
- nemophil;
Forget-me-not cultivation
Forget-me-not is a simple and at the same time ornamental plant belonging to the Genus Forget-me-not of the Borachnikov family. This genus includes about 50 species of biennial, perennial and annual plants, which grow in many areas South America, Asia, Australia, Europe and New Zealand. Cultivated since about the fifteenth century.
Types and varieties of forget-me-nots
Particularly often grown are varieties and forms that originate from alpine forget-me-not, forest forget-me-not, as well as from forget-me-nots and swamps. Anzor forget-me-not is cultivated in greenhouses. - Forest forget-me-not reaches a height of only 20 cm.
Blooms in spring, and sometimes in autumn time blue, pink or white flowers. Sites for growing are selected in partial shade.
Propagates well by dividing rhizomes and seeds.- Forget-me-not swamp can be called the most unpretentious and ornamental plant in the genus of Forget-me-nots. It grows and develops magnificently in very moist and marshy areas near various bodies of water, along the banks of rivers and streams.
It blooms from May to the end of September with small, sky-blue flowers. Among the varieties of forget-me-nots with bright blue flowers, it is worth remembering "Blauer Glugel", which is used for ridges, carpet beds and containers.
Tall varieties of forget-me-nots, reaching a height of almost 30 cm, such as "Messidor", suitable for landscape spring compositions and cuttings. Among varieties with light - blue tint suitable for small bouquets "Berliner Arct".
It looks good in a flower bed with daffodils, daisies and tulips. Forget-me-not, which we are used to seeing in our flower beds, is a biennial herbaceous plant. Its height can vary from 15 to 40 cm depending on the type and variety.
The plant has a compact or spreading bush shape. The shoots are highly branched from the base of the main stem (their number can vary from 15 to 30 pieces). The gray-silver leaves are lancet-shaped and heavily pubescent.
Flowers that can be colored blue, white or pink tint, have correct form, double perianth, more than one centimeter in diameter. The seeds are black nuts. One gram can contain from 1500 to 2000 seeds.
They remain viable for three to five years. When sown, seeds germinate within two weeks, and flowering begins after 11 months, in May - June next year. The seeds ripen 18 - 20 days after the end of flowering.
Planting and caring for forget-me-nots
Forget-me-not is a fairly frost-resistant plant; it grows and blooms well in moist, fertile, well-drained soils located in partial shade and sun. Land for sowing or constant cultivation be sure to dig up with organic and mineral fertilizers.
If the soil does not retain moisture well, then it is advisable to add peat or good turf soil. Forget-me-not can be grown either in seedlings or without seedling method.At seedling method seeds are sown in greenhouses or in beds located in the shade in late June - early July.
A small layer of earth (3 - 6 millimeters) is poured over the seeds. The soil is kept moist at all times, since any drying out leads to the death of the seedlings. Picking is carried out when small forget-me-nots have 2-3 pairs of true leaves, and they are planted in a permanent place at the end of August.
At growing in a seedless way seeds are sown in a permanent place in early summer. The soil in this area should be loose, sufficiently moist, and rich in nutrients.
With this method, one or two thinnings are necessary, as a result of which the distance between plants should be 15 - 20 cm. Caring for forget-me-not crops consists of timely and regular watering, weeding, fertilizing and loosening the soil crust.
In winter, crops must be mulched and covered with a special covering material such as agrila or spruce branches. Pests and diseases. Forget-me-not can be affected by smut, gray rot, true and downy mildew, and root rot.
It can also be attacked by cruciferous flea beetles, cutworms, and several types of aphids. Do not forget that this plant can be used for forcing in early spring.
To do this, the formed bushes are transplanted in the fall into small containers and suitable containers with loose, breathable soil. The diameter of the pot or container must be at least 10 cm. The container with plants is stored in a cool room (3 - 5 degrees) until flower shoots appear, and then brought into a warm room.
(Myosotis) - genus of plants from the borage family (Boraginaceae). Forget-me-nots are short, small in size and have small cute flowers. This genus is numerous and has about 50 plant species.
The flowers are so popular and common that they are found almost all over the world, from Europe to South Africa. The most common color of forget-me-not flowers is blue or blue, with a yellow “eye”.
Forget-me-not inflorescences have a racemose shape, and the flower itself is very long. Despite small size, the stem is heavy.
Did you know? From ancient Greek, “forget-me-not” is translated as “mouse ear.”
There are many legends about the origin of the name forget-me-not. One of the most popular and romantic ones says that a couple in love, walking along a cliff, came across a beautiful flower, the guy decided to pick it, but fell from the mountain. Flying down, he only managed to shout: “Don’t forget me!” Since then, the flower began to be called forget-me-not.
The blue forget-me-not looks most advantageous in the garden in combination with tulips, daffodils and chrysanthemums.
Forget-me-nots meet different types: some flowers will delight you with their bloom for one season (Mon Ami Blue), other species will bloom for two seasons (Forget-me-not Alpine, Forget-me-not Alpine Garden), but there are also perennial species blue and blue forget-me-nots.
Less commonly in our area you can find pink, lilac or violet forget-me-nots.
Annual species of forget-me-nots
Annual flowers are unpretentious and not capricious to the conditions of their detention. Same with forget-me-nots. Annual forget-me-nots, as a rule, are planted with seeds in open, fertilized soil and begin flowering very early. This fact allows them to be perfectly combined with bulbous plants.
The most common type is Mon Ami Blue. The flowers of this variety are dark blue, and the leaves are gray-green, heart-shaped. Hybrids of this species may have a different color (pink, white, purple). Blooms most profusely in July-August.
The advantage of annual forget-me-nots is the ability to obtain color already in the first growing season, which is very beneficial for greenhouse enterprises.
For earlier receipt flowering plant sowing can be carried out, for example, at the end of October, then it will bloom in early April.
Biennial types of forget-me-nots
Planting two-year-old forget-me-not species - This is the most convenient and common way for amateur gardeners to propagate plants. Particularly popular are Forget-me-not Alpine and Forget-me-not Alpine Garden. This species, like other forget-me-not varieties, is low (15-20 cm).
Alpine forget-me-nots are very branched, the flowers are bright blue ( hybrid forms there may be different colors), diameter is approximately 0.5-1 cm. After flowering, the plant bears fruit - an egg-shaped nut.
Important! The seeds of Alpine Forget-me-not are black, glossy, while those of “one-year-olds” have gray or brown and have a matte structure.
Perennial types of forget-me-nots
So that the smell of forget-me-nots pleases you for many years, you can choose a “perennial” variety for yourself.
Its prominent representative is Brunnera Sibirskaya. Opinion about what it is forest plant, wrong. It will serve you well in the garden, it will just require more moisture.
This variety is listed in the Red Book due to deforestation. Brunnera's rhizome is much thicker and almost horizontal - main distinguishing feature this forget-me-not. IN special conditions the flower does not need, the only preference is shade.
Planting forget-me-nots
In order for forget-me-nots and their flowers to please you when growing at home, you need not only to choose the most suitable type for you, but also to plant and care for the plant correctly.
Choosing a location and lighting
Forget-me-nots bloom best in shade and partial shade. It is a mistake to believe that the sun will increase the flowering period - on the contrary, flower petals will “burn” from bright sunlight.
Soil preparation
By and large, forget-me-nots do not need to loosen the soil before planting seeds/cuttings as much as they do during watering. The only thing that needs to be ensured is landing on level ground.
If this does not happen, the forget-me-nots may rise unevenly. Before planting, the soil must be fertilized with humus or peat. Try to prevent newly planted forget-me-nots from coming into contact with ammonia fertilizers.
Did you know? There is no need to create particularly “comfortable” conditions for flowers. Due to too much fertilizer, the flower begins to “self-destruct”: the leaves absorb all the life-giving juices, and the flower itself looks weak.
Flower care
To avoid problems when the forget-me-not blooms, you should follow certain recommendations that we described in this article about forget-me-nots and caring for them.
Watering rules
The first thing a flower requires is proper watering. The most important advice is that if it so happens that your forget-me-not grows in a sunny, dry place, water it more often than usual. Forget-me-nots should not dry out, as this will cause the leaves and flowers to fall off. You need to water the plant at the root, avoiding water getting on the leaves and flowers.
Important! Despite the fact that forget-me-nots love well-moistened places, it is best to plant them in ventilated areas and water them more often, but with less water, so that the plant does not rot.
Fertilizers and flower feeding
Forget-me-nots do not need special fertilizers. They need to be fed before each flowering. any complex fertilizer
. Do not forget that ammonia components are contraindicated for this flower!
The first feeding is two weeks after planting the plant. The best fertilizers for it are peat and humus, which are usually added to the soil during planting of forget-me-nots.
Plant transplantation
Many gardeners are engaged in forget-me-nots and grow them at home. In order for forget-me-nots to delight you with their pleasant view and smell, you need to know how to replant the plant correctly.
You don’t need any special skills here: you just need to level the ground in the place you choose, mix it with peat and humus, dig a small hole and plant the plant itself there. You need to pour a little water on top.
If you decide to transplant in the fall, then try to do it before the first frost, since forget-me-nots adapt better in “warm” soil.
The main thing is to correctly dig up the forget-me-not from the previous “place of residence”. To do this, you need to carefully pry the plant with its roots with a wooden or plastic spatula without damaging the stem.
Did you know? Forget-me-not can be replanted regardless of whether it blooms or not.
Methods for propagating forget-me-nots
Forget-me-nots are becoming increasingly popular among gardeners and are appearing in flower beds more and more often. Used different methods flower reproduction, which we will talk about.
Seeds
When to sow forget-me-nots? Best time to plant this wonderful flower– July, since the soil is already warm enough, and there is another month for the seed to adapt and take root.
Before planting, mix the soil with humus, moisten it a little, make shallow holes and sprinkle forget-me-not seeds into the open ground. The seeds need to be sprinkled with a little sand on top, covered with film, which must be removed after 2 weeks.
Important! For the first 2 weeks after sowing, you cannot remove the film or water the seeds. They should “ban”, then the plants will take root better.
By cuttings
Cuttings are the most popular propagation method when working with forget-me-nots. For cuttings, you need to choose a well-grown bush and cut off the tallest cuttings just below the shoot. The cutting must be placed in water until it takes root. Then it is planted in the ground.
To do this, make shallow holes in prepared soil (moistened, fertilized with peat and humus), plant plants in them, sprinkle a little dry soil on top, and water at the root.
After 5 days you need to apply fertilizer. It is better to take a universal one, making sure that it does not contain an ammonia component.
Dividing bushes
Reproduction of forget-me-nots by dividing bushes is not as complicated a process as it seems. The root of the flower is very flexible, and can be separated with one movement of the pruning shears. You need to carefully shake off the soil from the root of the plant, select a part of the rhizome with a “knee” (bend), and cut it vertically.
Many songs, poems, and legends have been written about cute forget-me-nots, personifying fidelity and memory. According to one of the legends, it is the angels who scatter small plants with blue flowers on the ground so that people, looking at their petals, do not forget about the sky. And their yellow center is like a little sun. Myosotis is like that Latin name flower, translated from ancient Greek means “mouse ear”. And the thing is that people thought that some species of this plant, belonging to the borage family, have pubescent leaves that look like mouse ears. The stems of these annual (or perennial) plants are from 10 to 40 cm high and are highly branched. The green (or bluish-green) leaves are sessile, their shape is lanceolate or spatulate. The pubescence is noticeable throughout the plant. Small flowers are collected in beautiful inflorescence, called a “curl”, most often their color is blue (in different shades), and the middle is yellowish, but now gardeners can also find forget-me-nots with white, cream or pink flowers in their flower beds. The fruits gradually ripen - nuts, each of which contains about 2000 tiny black shiny seeds that can germinate after sowing in 14 days. Now there are approximately 50 species of these herbaceous plants, 35 of them can be found in Russia. Forget-me-not prefers moist, shady places. In floriculture, the most common types of forget-me-nots are:
And now MirSovetov will name the varieties of alpine forget-me-not, also called garden:
- “Blauer Korb”, “Music”, “Indigo compacta”, “Miro”, “Victoria” - they have soft blue or dark blue flowers;
- "Indigo", "Ultramarine", "Blue Ball" - they show dark blue flowers;
- “Carmen King”, “Rosilva”, “Victoria rose” - produce pink flowers;
- "Victoria white" - of course, it is distinguished by white flowers.
It is preferable to grow these plants in partial shade, but they will develop and produce flowers even in the shade and in bright sun. They tolerate spring frosts quite well, when the temperature drops below five degrees at night. They can tolerate dry days, the main thing is that a short drought is immediately followed by a period good rains. Following flowering (May-June), there is a period of ripening of fruits and nuts; when they open, the seeds fall into the ground. In August you will see a lot of young growth in this place.
Placement of forget-me-nots
They look very nice spring flower beds with forget-me-nots. In addition, as they grow, they are able to form delicate “mats”, which will then hinder growth weeds. Therefore, they can be sowed into a Moorish lawn, rock garden, or rock garden. The main thing is to check later so that the forget-me-nots, as they grow, do not crowd out their closest neighbors in the flower garden. All shady places can also be sown with these blue flowers. Forget-me-nots will decorate loggias and verandas if they are planted in flowerpots or containers. Forget-me-nots combine well with tulips, primroses, daffodils, pansies, lily of the valley, hyacinth, and daisies.
Sowing
An easy way to grow forget-me-nots on your plot is to sow their seeds in open ground in May-June. During the first year, a rosette of leaves will form and grow, and these forget-me-nots will bloom only in the next season. Before sowing, you need to dig up the designated area, add humus and a little peat, and level the ground. Then moisten it, and then scatter small seeds over the entire surface. Another option is to make grooves, spread the seeds and plant them to a depth of 6 mm. Small sprouts usually emerge after 14 days. If there are a lot of plants, then after a while they will need to be slightly dispersed to other places in the garden.
Growing through seedlings
If you purchased annual varieties, among which is “Mon Ami Blue”, they are grown in seedlings. Cassettes specially designed for this purpose are filled with light soil (for example, turf and sand). Moisten the soil and scatter the seeds; there is no need to plant them, then in the light they will sprout faster. First, until the shoots emerge, keep the cassettes in warm room(+22°C). When the sprouts appear, after five days move them to another place where the temperature will be +18°C (at night it can be a little lower). In order for plants to grow compact and strong, they must be watered promptly and kept in the light. Important point: watering is carried out so that water does not fall on parts of the plant, then you will protect them from diseases. After a month, small plants should be transplanted into cups or pots. Sometimes you can add complex mineral fertilizers to the water for irrigation. Such plants usually begin to bloom within 2.5-3 months, counting from the moment of sowing. Such seedlings can be transplanted into a flower garden in early May, depending on the weather.
Further care
As MirSovetov already mentioned, forget-me-nots need a site with loose, moderately moist soil. If the soil is very fertile (after adding rotted manure), then the forget-me-nots will grow shoots and leaves well, but few flowers will form. In partial shade and shady places Forget-me-nots bloom longer than in open sun rays clearings. It is very easy to care for these unpretentious flowers; they only need careful watering at the root so that water does not get on the green parts of the plant, and loosening the soil layer. Do not overwater the plants, otherwise they will rot or become diseased. If the soil is constantly dry, then forget-me-nots, as a rule, fade very quickly. To ensure that plants reproduce by self-seeding, select several bushes and leave faded inflorescences on them so that the nuts and seeds begin to ripen. For other forget-me-nots, remove the inflorescences after flowering, otherwise they will fill the entire area. Forget-me-nots can be transplanted to other places both in the fall and during the period when they already have buds or flowers; these plants tolerate transplantation very well. The varietal forget-me-nots that you like can also be propagated using cuttings in June.
In spring and autumn, you can feed forget-me-not bushes. To do this, add and stir a teaspoon of nitrophoska, potassium sulfate and urea into 10 liters of water. You can also take mineral complexes (“Flower”, “Emerald”, “Agricola”). Forget-me-nots can be damaged by cruciferous flea beetles, aphid colonies, slugs, and cutworms. Diseases that can affect plants: rot (root and gray), powdery mildew (true and downy). For the prevention of rot, forget-me-nots can be treated with the preparation “Hom”, and against powdery mildew – with “Skorom” or “Topaz”. When aphids appear, it is necessary to spray with Iskra.
If the winters in your area are harsh, then mulch the forget-me-nots in the fall and cover them with spruce branches.
If you really love these modest blue flowers, then in the fall you can dig up one or more plants and transplant them into pots. They must be stored in the basement (the temperature there should not fall below zero). In February, move them into the room and place them on the windowsill. Then, already in March, forget-me-nots will delight you with abundant flowering.