Forget-me-nots how to grow at home

Forget-me-not is one of the amazing colors that you can use to decorate your front garden. There is a variety of varieties of forget-me-nots, the variety of inflorescences beckons. This flower grows best in the shade or partial shade, because it does not like sunny places. Despite the fact that the forget-me-not feels good under the sun, the flowering period is significantly reduced to 20 days.

Fertilized, loose and well-moistened soil is the best option. Forget-me-not is a moisture-loving flower and if there is no timely watering, the plant quickly dies. But it is also not strongly recommended to overflow the plant, because the roots will begin to rot and the leaves will fall off. Therefore, a drainage system should be made before planting a flower.

If you decide to plant this plant in your garden, be sure to find out about how to grow forget-me-nots from seeds at home - planting and care. Forget-me-nots are best propagated by seeds. In the month of May and June, seeds are sown in greenhouses and watered regularly. Ready seedlings are planted in early August in a permanent place of growth. Also, forget-me-not propagates with the help of cuttings, only in this case varietal plants are taken.

If you want the forget-me-not to bloom in the spring, then the seeds should be sown in October-November. To do this, prepare a container (pots, cups or a box), fill it with pre-prepared soil and sow flowers randomly over the surface of the soil. It is not necessary to cover the seeds with soil or to bury them, as they germinate quickly. Before sowing, you can pour all the seeds into salt water, low-quality ones will float. The remaining seeds are removed from the water, completely dried and sown.

The first shoots appear within 5-6 days, you need to dive the plants after they have the first few leaves. It is recommended to take the box with already dived forget-me-nots to a cool place (basement or greenhouse). By the end of April, forget-me-not seedlings are planted in open ground, and after 20-25 days it blooms. As soon as the forget-me-not flowers lose their decorative effect, you can start collecting seeds, for this, choose only the strongest and most beautiful bushes in your opinion.

When growing, problems can arise, so that they do not get sick, you should follow the advice of experienced florists.

• The distance between flowers must be at least 10 cm.
• Remove weeds, loosen and spill the soil regularly.
• Make sure that the soil is not very wet.

If the disease has overpowered the plant, use fungicides and insecticides to combat it. To speed up growth, you can fertilize the flowers with compost, peat, or nitrogen. Forget-me-nots are combined with tulips, daffodils, crocuses and hyacinths. The plant looks good next to waters and curbs.

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 the sky.In addition, despite the fact that the name of a flower in different languages ​​is noticeably different, for all peoples it has practically the same meaning - "do not forget me." In this article, we will tell you how to grow from seeds such a touching perennial that symbolizes devotion and loyalty, like the garden forget-me-not.

Description of garden forget-me-not

Forget-me-not garden blue, alpine and any other belongs to the genus of forget-me-nots (Myosotis) of the Boraginaceae family. In total, there are about 80 species in the genus Myosotis, and 30 of them grow on the territory of our country. Other types of forget-me-nots can be found in the temperate climate of Europe and America, Asia and South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. Forget-me-nots are herbaceous plants that prefer moist and shaded places.

The height of the highly branching 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 colors can be blue, blue, pink, white and even cream. The 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 fruit cracks, the seeds fall to the ground and germinate. As a result of such self-seeding, a fairly strong seedling is obtained, capable of overwintering in the conditions of our winters.

Choosing a place for planting forget-me-not garden

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 like the 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 it manifests its decorative qualities most fully in partial shade. It is a mistake to believe that the sun will increase the flowering period - on the contrary, the flower petals will "burn out" from bright sunlight. Do not plant forget-me-not on very rich soils, as the plant begins to "fatten" and forms a powerful bush that practically does not bloom.

Growing seedlings of garden forget-me-nots from seeds

Growing forget-me-nots from seeds is the most common breeding method for garden forget-me-nots. You can grow forget-me-nots both through seedlings and by a seedless method. At the same time, forget-me-not is mainly grown from seeds. Most often they are grown as a biennial plant. Prepared seeds must be dipped in slightly salted water. The floating planting material must be thrown away, most likely, it will not be able to germinate. The remaining seeds must be dried. Like all biennials, forget-me-not seeds are sown in May-June on seed beds or in bowls with loose fertile soil. Seeds are sown superficially on a compacted, moist, flat soil surface and only slightly sprinkled with light soil or sand. The crops are covered with spunbond, polyethylene or glass, the soil is kept moist by watering gently from a spray bottle or over a non-woven covering material. The first seedlings appear literally after five to six days. After germination, the crops are freed from the shelter.

When two true leaves are formed (usually after 3-4 weeks), the forget-me-nots are pulled or planted in pots (1-3 plants) or on growing beds at a distance of 5-7 cm between the plants. For the bushes to be compact, the cultivation of forget-me-not seedlings is carried out in partial shade. Seedlings are periodically watered, the soil is loosened, weeds are removed. For better tillering, the seedlings are pinched. Forget-me-not is fed with complex mineral soluble fertilizer for seedlings once every two weeks. The fertilizer concentration is gradually increased. In late August - early September, forget-me-nots form a dense rosette of leaves.In this form, they are planted in a permanent place according to the scheme recommended for the variety (15-25 cm between plants) and watered well

Planting seedlings of garden forget-me-nots

Forget-me-not seedlings are grown until the plants grow up to four to five centimeters in height. After that, you can plant seedlings in a place of constant growth with an interval of fifteen to twenty centimeters.

Some sources indicate that it is necessary to plant young forget-me-nots in open ground at the end of August.

A distinctive feature of forget-me-nots is resistance to transplants. After moving to open ground, almost all plants survive. But it is extremely important for this to water them well after transplanting. For the winter, forget-me-nots are mulched with fallen leaves, spruce branches or peat. Forget-me-not bloom comes next spring. Garden forget-me-not will bloom earlier if temporary shelters are built over it in April. In the second year of cultivation, in order to prolong flowering and limit seed formation, wilted flowers are promptly removed.

Reproduction methods for forget-me-not garden

Forget-me-nots are becoming more and more popular among flower growers and appear in flower beds more and more often. Various methods of flower propagation are used, which we will talk about. When to sow forget-me-not seeds? The best time to plant this wonderful flower with seeds is July, since the soil is already warm enough, and there is still a month for the seed to adapt and root. Before planting, mix the soil with humus, moisten a little, make shallow holes and pour forget-me-not seeds into the open ground. Seeds need to be sprinkled on top with a little sand, covered with a film, which must be removed after 2 weeks. The first 2 weeks after sowing, you can not remove the film, water the seeds. They should "rot", then the plants will root better.
Cuttings are the most popular propagation method when working with forget-me-nots. For cuttings, it is necessary to choose a well-grown bush and cut off the tallest cuttings just below the set stem. The stalk must be placed in water until it takes root. Then it is planted in the ground. To do this, shallow pits are made in the prepared soil (moistened, fertilized with peat and humus), plants are planted in them and a little sprinkled with dry earth on top, watered at the root. After 5 days, you need to fertilize. It is better to take a universal one, making sure that there is no ammonia component in its composition.

Reproduction of forget-me-nots by dividing bushes is not as difficult as it seems. The root of the flower is very sprawling, and you can separate it with one movement of the secateurs. It is necessary to gently shake off the ground from the root of the plant, select a part of the rhizome with a "knee" (bend), cut it vertically. For better engraftment, the roots can be dipped in a universal fertilizer solution. Then the bushes are planted like ordinary seedlings. After dividing the bushes, the next year, the seeds will scatter themselves, and there will be much more bushes, which should not be allowed. It is necessary to thin out the bushes, because if the forget-me-not is planted too densely, this will lead to the fact that the color will be less abundant and bright.

Garden forget-me-not care

It is very easy to take care of these unpretentious flowers, they only need careful watering at the root so that water does not fall on the green parts of the plant, and the loosening of the soil layer. Do not flood the plants, or they will rot or get sick. If the soil is constantly dry, then forget-me-nots, as a rule, fade very quickly. In order for the plants to multiply by self-sowing, select a few bushes and leave faded inflorescences on them so that the nuts and seeds ripen. For the rest of the forget-me-nots, remove the inflorescences after flowering, otherwise they will fill the entire area.You can transplant forget-me-nots to other places both in the fall and during the period when they already have buds or flowers, these plants tolerate transplanting very well. In spring and autumn, you can feed forget-me-not bushes. To do this, add to 10 liters of water and stir in a teaspoon of nitrophoska, potassium sulfate and urea. You can also take mineral complexes ("Flower", "Emerald", "Agricola"). Cruciferous fleas, aphid colonies, slugs, scoops can damage forget-me-nots. Diseases that can affect plants: rot (root and gray), powdery mildew (real and false). For the prevention of rot, forget-me-nots can be treated with the preparation "Hom", and for powdery mildew - with "Skorom" or "Topaz". When aphids appear, spraying with Iskra should be carried out.

If the winters in your area are harsh, then in the fall, mulch forget-me-nots, cover them with spruce branches.

If you are very fond of these modest blue flowers, then in the fall you can dig up one or more plants, transplant them into pots. They must be stored in the basement (the temperature there should not fall below zero). In February, transfer them to the room, place them on the windowsill. Then, already in March, forget-me-nots will delight you with abundant flowering.

Forget-me-not (from Lat. Myosotis) belongs to the Borage family. There are more than 50 species in the genus that grow in Europe, Africa, America, Asia, New Zealand and Australia, Russia. The plant is located in humid, sometimes marshy areas. In Russia, this flower is well known and loved, it received among the people such names as "gourd", "pristine", "feverish grass". Starting to build a beautiful forget-me-not flower garden in your garden, growing and caring are the main questions that you need to study. And our article will help you with this.

Plant characteristic

Small, usually blue, flowers on long stems.

Forget-me-not flowers can be:

1. annual;
2. biennial;
3. perennial.

Stems are long, reaching 40 cm. Leaves can be lanceolate, sessile, spatulate, linear-lanceolate. The flowers are blue, pink, white in color. Collected in inflorescences. The fruits of the plant are small dense capsules in the shape of a nut, inside there are many black shiny seeds. They take root well and can remain viable for up to 3 years.

Types of forget-me-nots

More than half of all types of forget-me-nots grow in the territories of Russia and the former USSR. Let's consider some of the most famous ones.

1. Alpine forget-me-not (Myosotis alpestris). Place of distribution - rocky areas of the Caucasus, Carpathians, Alps. The rhizome of the plant is short, the stem is low - up to 15 cm. The leaves are light green and the petals are dark blue. Likes to be in bright light, in these conditions it can bloom up to 7 weeks. Propagated by seeds.
2. Marsh forget-me-not (Myosotis palustris). Grows in moist soil, along the banks of water bodies and swamps. Stems are long, branching. The leaves of the flower are large, bright green. The petals are pink or blue, the flowers are relatively large, up to 1.2 cm in diameter.
3. Forget-me-not field. It is considered a medicinal plant. Shoots are low, flowers are small, blue.
4. Forest forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica). Perennial with a long stem, green oval elongated leaves. Flowers are numerous, located on pedicels and collected in curled inflorescences. Depending on the variety, the color of the petals can be pink, blue, blue. The plant loves shade and moisture.

Breeders are constantly bringing out new types of forget-me-nots with flowers of various colors - purple, yellow, cream.

Breeders have already created forget-me-not varieties with pink and purple flowers.

Alpine forget-me-not is rarely found in the nature of our country, most often its domesticated version, which is called "Alpine garden forget-me-not" (Myosotis x hybrida hort), is grown. This garden plant is very unpretentious - it grows well and blooms in the sun, in the shade, in drought conditions. Even withstands small, up to -5 degrees, frosts.It can bloom for a long time - about 45 days. Popular varieties of garden forget-me-nots:

1. "Music" is a tall flower with dark blue petals.
2. "Indigo" - small bushes up to 15 cm tall, with blue flowers.
3. "Rosilva" - small plants, pink flower petals.
4. "Victoria" - small, rounded bushes with pale blue flowers.

Home care

Forget-me-not grows and feels great in natural conditions, therefore it is an unpretentious plant. It is usually grown in a garden or in a greenhouse.

Lighting

Although it is believed that forget-me-not flowers grow well in the shade, they still need sunlight. It is necessary to provide conditions when the grown flower is in the sun from 3 to 6 hours a day, partial shade conditions will be ideal. In this case, flowering will be more abundant.

Taking into account the recommendations, in the garden you need to choose a place where the flower will be half a day in the sun and half a day in the shade. In the room, they choose the south side, not forgetting to curtain the windows in time. You also need to remember about regular ventilation.

Watering

Forget-me-not is more demanding for watering. It grows well only in moist soil, so it should not be allowed to dry out. It is better to water infrequently - about 1 time per week, but abundantly, well moistening the soil. Regular spraying of the flower with warm water is allowed. The regularity of watering is calculated based on external conditions. If the forget-me-not stays in the sun for a long time, you need to water it more often, if in the shade - less often.

Diseases and pests

Due to their natural endurance, forget-me-nots are less susceptible to diseases and pests. Problems can arise from improper care. If you often water and allow the soil to acidify, fungal diseases can develop - gray rot, powdery mildew. In this case, spraying with fungicides will help.

How to grow forget-me-not

When choosing a soil for growing a plant, you need to consider two factors:

1. the soil should not be too nutritious, otherwise the forget-me-not will grow strongly and practically not bloom;
2. the soil should not be poor sandy, otherwise the flower will grow poorly.

Wet meadow soil is ideal. Next, you will need to monitor the humidity level and observe the watering regime.

Fertilizing forget-me-not is necessary infrequently. After planting, after 2 weeks, you need to apply liquid mineral fertilizer. In the spring it is better to feed it with peat and humus, and in the fall with organic mineral fertilizers.

During the period of plant growth, the soil must be periodically loosened to provide better access to moisture and fertilizing. But forget-me-not does not need weeding - a powerful root system does not give the weeds a chance to break out. For the winter, the plants are not covered with anything.

Landing

For planting in the garden, choose a shaded place.

First you need to choose a place in the garden where the forget-me-not will receive enough light and be in partial shade. You can grow the plant next to tall flowers that will cast a shadow. For example, a sprawling fern is suitable as a neighbor.

Outdoors, seed-based growing is best:

1. The soil is loosened well, peat and humus are introduced, then leveled.
2. Furrows are made on the surface and seeds are laid in them, retreating between the holes about 10 cm.
3. The seeds are lightly sprinkled with soil and covered with polyethylene on top.
4. Water regularly, keeping the soil moist. This should be done carefully, spraying or passing water through a piece of cloth.

Forget-me-not seedlings appear 2 weeks after planting. When the first leaves appear, it is necessary to thin out the sprouts or plant them at a distance of 5 cm from each other. Flowering begins in May and lasts up to 2 months.

Another option to plant a forget-me-not in the garden is to pre-grow seedlings. To do this, in the fall, plant seeds are sown in containers with light soil, slightly deepening. There must be a layer of expanded clay under the soil layer.It is better to water the seedlings before emergence through a sheet of paper.

With the appearance of leaves, seedlings dive and move to a cold greenhouse until early spring. At the end of April, seedlings can be planted in open ground. Flowering will begin in May.

Regardless of the growing method, planting and caring for forget-me-nots will not cause much trouble.

Reproduction

Having correctly planted and propagated the forget-me-not, you can create a beautiful carpet of flowers on the site.

There are three main ways to breed forget-me-nots:

1. Seeds. The seeds can be harvested by hand during the ripening period. To do this, dried branches with fruits are cut and the seeds are shaken out in the place where they want to grow forget-me-not. But it is easier to allow the plant to multiply by self-seeding, after transplanting it to the right place. The main thing is not to allow a strong growth of forget-me-not bushes, periodically thinning them.
2. By dividing the bush. You can propagate forget-me-not flowers by dividing the bush into several parts. The transplant is done at any time of the year - the root system of the flower is very strong, it can easily take root.
3. By cuttings. The method is suitable for breeding 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 a film. Water gently, trying not to fall on the leaves. For better tillering, pinch a little on top. Plants propagated in this way bloom in the same season, but for a short time. For the winter, the plant is covered with spruce branches or peat.

If you plant and propagate forget-me-not flowers correctly, you can get a beautiful multi-colored carpet that will become a garden decoration.

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 the sky.In addition, despite the fact that the name of a flower in different languages ​​is noticeably different, for all peoples it has practically the same meaning - "do not forget me." In this article, we will tell you how to grow such a touching perennial that symbolizes devotion and loyalty, like the garden forget-me-not.

Legends and beliefs

In many European countries, in ancient times, forget-me-not was honored as a special plant and even celebrated in her honor. In Russia, this flower was also called a pristine, feverish and witching herb. Our ancestors believed that if you put a wreath of forget-me-nots on your beloved, then he will bewitch him stronger than any witchcraft.

In Germany, there is still a widespread belief that the garden forget-me-not can open a treasure, and also help to find out the name of the betrothed. Blacksmiths in many countries believed that steel, hardened in the juice of this fragile plant, became stronger and lighter, and a blade from it could cut iron.

Botanical characteristic

Forget-me-not garden blue, alpine and any other belongs to the genus of forget-me-nots (Myosotis) of the Boraginaceae family. In total, there are about 80 species in the genus Myosotis, and 30 of them grow on the territory of our country. Other types of forget-me-nots can be found in the temperate climate of Europe and America, Asia and South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.

Forget-me-nots are herbaceous plants that prefer moist and shaded places. The height of the highly branching 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 colors can be blue, blue, pink, white and even cream. The 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 fruit cracks, the seeds fall to the ground and germinate. As a result of such self-seeding, a fairly strong seedling is obtained, capable of overwintering in the conditions of our winters.

Garden views

Despite the great species diversity and many different modern varieties, the following forget-me-nots are most often used in floriculture and ornamental gardening:

• marsh (Myosotis palustris);
• forest (M. caespitosa);
• alpine (M. alpestris);
• parted-flowered (M. dissitiflora);
• alpine garden (M. x hybrida hort).

In gardens, a special cultural form is most often found - the Alpine garden forget-me-not. On the basis of it and the species listed above, various hybrids have been created today and many varieties have been bred, differing from each other not only in the color of the petals.

Popular varieties

Garden forget-me-nots with flowers painted in various shades of pink are popular today:

• 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 that of flowers of a different color. Such dark blue varieties as Blue King, Indigo, Blue Basket, Ultramarine are quite widespread. Lovers of sky blue and light blue will be pleased with such varieties of garden forget-me-nots as Music, Golubye Dali, Compinidi, Miro, Victoria, Pompadour.

We select a place

A plant like the 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 it manifests its decorative qualities most fully in partial shade. Do not plant forget-me-not on very rich soils, as the plant begins to "fatten" and forms a powerful bush that practically does not bloom.

Beautiful forget-me-not garden: planting and care

This delicate flower can be propagated in a variety of ways. You can sow seeds directly into open ground or grow seedlings, divide the formed bush. In the case of especially rare varietal specimens, propagation by cuttings is possible.

The most easily accessible way in which the garden forget-me-not reproduces is growing from seeds directly in the open field. Such a planting is carried out on 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 the top layer of the soil is dug up again, leveled and well spilled with water. After that, shallow furrows are made in the soil, where tiny forget-me-not seeds are sown. From above they are sprinkled with fine river sand and carefully compacted. The plantings are covered with a non-woven covering material or film and left for two weeks. Depending on the temperature and other external factors, seedlings appear, as a rule, this happens after 14 days. They are opened and thinned out.

In the first year, the plants will form only a rosette of leaves, but they will bloom in the second year after planting.

Reproduction through seedlings

Usually, the cultivation of 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. For seedlings, a special soil mixture is made, consisting of fine river sand and sod land in a ratio of 1: 2. Until the emergence of seedlings, containers with seeds, covered with glass or polyethylene, are kept at a temperature of + 20 ... + 23 ° C, and after five days it is lowered to + 18 ... + 20 ° C. All this time, the seedlings should be well lit. After the emergence of sprouts, top dressing can be carried out with weak solutions of mineral fertilizers and watered as the top layer of the soil dries up. In May, seedlings, often already with buds, are planted in open ground, sheltering them for the first time both from the scorching sun and from recurrent frosts. By the end of July, the plants will have bloomed and their seeds will ripen.

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, about 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 applied to the soil under forget-me-nots, and in the spring a small, about 5 cm, layer of peat-mixture or well-rotted compost mixed with garden soil is poured under the bushes. It is important to remember that garden forget-me-not is quite aggressive and spreads quickly by self-seeding. To prevent this, you should immediately remove the faded twigs, thereby preventing the setting of seeds and their further unauthorized "movement" in your area.