How to Grow Forget Me Not Flowers

About Growing Forget Me Nots in Your Home Flower Garden

For coveted garden coolness, forget-me-not flowers are unbeatable. These popular, tiny, true blue flowers with yellow centers are so lovely, blooming above hairy leaves and stems. And, growing perennial Forget Me Not plants are easy. Established flowers are very low maintenance.

Forget-Me-Nots are native to woodland areas. As a result, they thrive in lightly shade areas. The plants make a wonderful carpet or ground cover under taller plants or small deciduous trees. And they look their best planted in large “pools” or masses of plants.

Try growing them in flower beds, borders, rock gardens, and containers.

Send or give Forget-Me-Nots as a sign of true love or friendship.

Did you Know? Forget-Me-Not seed packets are popular handouts and giveaways for funeral services, remembrances, sales promotions, and even political campaigns.

Forget Me Not Plant Specifications

Flower Colors: Blue is by far the most popular. There are also pink and white varieties.

Flowers Bloom: Spring and Summer

Plant Height: 12″ – 24″

Light Requirements: Full sun to partial sunlight.

Ideal Soil pH: 6.0 – 8.0.

Hardiness Zone: 3 – 8.

Toxicity: Mildly toxic.

Deer Resistant? Yes, somewhat. Deer will eat the plant if food is scarce in the area.

Native To: Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and South America.

Plant Type: Biennials and short-lived perennials.

Botanical Name: Boraginacae

Other Names: Scorpion’s Tail, Mouse Ear

Light Requirement

Being native to woodland areas, this cold-hardy plant grows best in light to medium shade.

They will also grow well in sunny areas if grown in cooler regions. The plants do not do well when exposed to full sunlight in hot regions of the country.

Are Forget Me Not Plants Edible?

YES!!

Forget-Me-Not flowers are edible. They add a splash of color to salads, desserts, candied, and baked goods. The flowers are often used as a garnish, too.

Important Note: Chinese Forget Me Nots are mildly toxic. They contain pyrrolizidine, a mildly toxic chemical, and should be eaten only in moderation.

Medicinal Application for Forget-Me-Not Plants

Forget Me Not plants are commonly used in herbal medicine. It has diuretic and expectorant properties.

Some of the medicinal applications are:

It promotes urinary health.
Use it to treat respiratory and lung ailments.
It is used to treat nosebleeds.

Forget Me Not Plant Propagation

Perennial Forget-Me-Not plants are started from seed. Directly sow Forget Me Not seeds into your flower garden after all danger of frost. Or, for earlier blooms, start them indoors a eight to ten weeks before the last frost in your area.

Sow seeds after all danger of frost. Cover lightly with 1/8″ of garden soil.

Space them 4-5 inches apart and thin seedlings to 10″ apart.

Also, these perennial plants can be propagated by separating clumps of established plants.

Days to Germination: 8 – 14 days.

How to Grow Forget-Me-not Flower Plants

Forget-Me-Nots are easy to grow. They require little maintenance. The plants prefer light shade. But, in cooler parts of the country, they will also do well in the sun, too. They will bloom profusely in shady areas and do not require a lot of attention.

They grow well in average soils. But the soil should be well-draining and kept moist.

Add a general-purpose fertilizer once or twice a season. Apply the first application in early spring. Then, apply it again in mid-summer.

If allowed, the plants are prolific re-seeders. Later in the season, keep the flowers on the plants. Allow the flowers to die off naturally. The spent flowers will produce seed pods that drop their seeds for next year’s crop of beautiful blue flowers.

They may need mulching for winter protection in northern areas, or grow them as a biennial.

To grow Forget Me Nots in containers and flowerpots:

Use flowerpots or containers with drain holes in the bottom.
Keep an eye on the moisture level. Check the plants every day or two. Keep the soil moist, but not wet. It is okay to let the top of the soil begin to dry between watering. When watering the plants, thoroughly wet the soil. Excess water will drain through the hole in the bottom of the flowerpot.
Nutrients in a flowerpot are limited. So, use fertilizer spikes to feed the plants. Or, apply a light solution of liquid fertilizer every 3 – 4 weeks.
Move the flowerpot around, as needed to give the plants optimum sunlight. Protect them from the hot afternoon sunlight.

How to Prune Forget Me Not Plants

Usually, Forget Me Not plants will grow healthy and strong under most growing conditions. Little or no pruning is required.

Immediately remove any sick, dead, or diseased leaves.

Deadhead the spent flowers to prolong the blooming period. More on Deadheading Blooms.

As previously mentioned, late in the season allow the flowers to remain on the plants to reseed the area.

Insects and Plant Disease

Insects and plant diseases are not too common. If problems arise, treat early with insecticides or fungicides as appropriate.

Also see: Plant Problems – Identify the causes and find the cures.

Overwintering Forget Me Not Flowers

The plants will usually live for two years. In most areas, no extra steps are needed to overwinter these hardy plants. For colder regions of the country, at the end of the first year wait until frost has killed the plant for the year. Then, add a layer of mulch over the roots to protect them from negative temperatures in the winter.