Forget Me Nots flowers. Read all about growing and caring for them.
Forget–me–nots form dense mats of foliage by producing above-ground runners. The foliage is deer resistant and resembles rounded mouse ears.
Season of Interest
Season features: Spring Bloom; Summer BloomPlant type: Perennial
Genus name: Myosotis
Foliage color: Blue/Green
The flowers are one of the few plants that can boast a true blue color. But the adorable and prolific blooms also come in light pink, purple, and even a clean white, and yellow centers brighten every shade.
The curving stalks supporting the blooms give forget-me-nots one of their common names: scorpion grass. The flowers emerge in early to late spring and continue until summer heat slows the plants down.
How To Grow Forget-Me-Nots
They are easy-to-grow plants, requiring little maintenance. Commonly grown from seed, forget-me-nots are often treated as biennals or short-lived perennials.
Seeds can be sown directly in the garden in the fall for early-spring blooms.
Heat and Humidity
One of the biggest killers of forget-me-nots is summer heat and humidity. In the South especially, summers tend to kill off these charming plants.
In this case, treat forget-me-nots as cool-season annuals or look for heat-tolerant varieties and species. If you live in the south or hot zones in the west you can help your flowers from dying off by planting them in part shade during the hot afternoon sun.
By keeping them from sunny locations in the afternoon this help protect them and will prolong their life.
Light
Forget-me-nots prefer full sun, but where the summers are hot, they are better placed where they get some afternoon shade.
Water
Again, they are very easy to grow so once the plants are established they really hold up well. Obviously, with all plants, do not let them dry out. Keep the roots moist. This is especially true as you transplant them.
Keep an extra close eye on them within the first two weeks of transplanting them into the ground. Keep the soil moist. Do not scorch them by watering them in the hot heat of mid-day. Watering in the cooler mornings and evening time.
Fertilizer and Feeding
The plants are pretty self-sustaining. However, if you would like to give your forget-me-nots an extra boost, fertilize forget–me–nots once a year in the spring with a slow-release 10-10-10 fertilizer.
You can use 2 to 3 pounds per 100 square feet. Sprinkle the granules onto the soil surrounding the plants and water afterwards to spread the nutrients into the soil.
Transplanting From Pots Into The Ground
If you have purchased potted plants you will want to let them adapt to your climate. Always keep the pot watered until ready to transplant.
The easiest way to do this is to keep them outdoors inside their pot, in the shade, for 3 days. This will allow them to get used to the temperature and humidity (while not burning them out).
After 3 days… dig a hole twice the size of the pot they are in. Keep the top of the soil from the pot in line with the ground soil you are planting them in.
If you are in the hot south, southwest or west coastal regions, remember that you are way ahead of the rest of the country. Plant forget-me-nots outdoors where they have a little afternoon shade.
It’s better they receive their sunlight during early morning or late afternoon in your area. In the north, midwest and east coast plant in full sun.
FAQ
Yes. The foliage on forget-me-nots flowers are indeed deer resistant.
They are actually considered Bi-Annuals. Which means they come back like a perennial (maybe not as long lived as a perennial) but also seed like an annual. Each plant may not flower each year but every other year. However, they are usually grown from seed in clusters. The gardener will never notice this really because every year some of the plants will flower. Almost, like that of daffodils. There are so many in a clump you will never notice any of the plants not flowering.
