There is a flower called forget-me-not flower. It has a Latin name, Myosotis. On tall, hairy stems, this flower grows.
Sometimes, this plant can also grow up to two-feet tall. In general, it has five charming, blue petals with the yellow center.
Does the forget-me-not flower have the same forget-me-not meaning as you may think it is?
Table of Contents
A. About Forget-Me-Not Flowers
Myosotis is part of the Boraginaceae family. There are 50 species of forget-me-nots. Most of them have flowers that are small, flat, and bright blue.
There are also some other flowers that are white and pink. They all have five, thick petals that grow on their stems.
The name Myosotis comes from Greek. That means “mouse-ear”, because the shape of their small leaves does look like such. These plants are native to Eurasia.
These flowers grow from their stems all throughout May to October. Not only blue, but sometimes forget-me-nots also have pink petals. They grow close to brooks and streams.
Basically, any place that is close to water and offers enough humidity and moisture is good enough for them.
Perhaps the forget-me-not meaning is like what you may think it is. These flowers spread easily. Even at the spots where tiny seeds may fall, they simply burst out and grow wildly.
To care for these plants, you do not need much. Despite their ability to grow in wet and moist spaces, forget-me-nots adapt well to the sun.
B. Types of Forget-Me-Not Flowers
There are four (4) types of forget-me-not flowers:
1. The annual forget-me-nots (Myosotis sylvatica)
Their leaves are bright green, lance-shaped, and four inches long. Their clusters are sparkling blue, elongated, curving, and around 1/3 to ¼ inches wide of flowers.
Myosotis sylvatica has hairy leaves. They are a perfect option for underplanting spring-blooming bulbs, like tulips and daffodils.
These forget-me-nots stop flowering and set seeds when summer comes. Small seedlings turn up in fall and bloom in the spring.
2. The first perennial forget-me-nots (Myosotis scorpioides)
Their leaves and clusters are just the same as the annual forget-me-nots. The difference is that Myosotis scorpioides have glossy leaves. When they bloom, these flowers blossom from a cerulean cloud in minor shades and woodland plantings.
These forget-me-nots tend to flower longer, from spring through summer.
3. The second perennial forget-me-nots (Myosotis palustris)
Their flowers are blue, with yellow, pink, or white parts on the center. Their leaves are narrow and they grow taller than the previous two.
4. The biennial forget-me-nots (Myosotis alpestris)
These forget-me-nots are the smallest in four, more like dwarf plants. They only grow nine inches. The flowers can either be blue, pink, or white.
C. The Forget-Me-Not Symbolism
When it comes to the forget-me-not meaning, there are four (4) meanings that represent these flowers:
1. True love
Although not as elegant as roses, forget-me-nots still hold a stronger, deeper meaning of love. Send them to your partner to show them they are your one true love.
2. Fidelity
It is a good sign if someone you love sends you forget-me-not flowers. That means they are willing to stay faithful to you. The same thing goes for you if you would like to show your loved ones you will never cheat on them.
3. A long and lasting connection
Who says these flowers are only for lovers? You can also send them to your closest best friends. If one of them sends you these, that means there is a strong, unbreakable bond between you. They would like to keep that for always.
4. Remembering someone
Just like the name itself, you may send the flower to someone with a message like this: “Please don’t forget about me, because I will always remember you.” This means the person who receives the flower deserves respect.
D. How To Plant Forget-Me-Notst
Before you start planting, selecting the location is important. It is true that Myosotis plants mostly need somewhere humid to grow.
However, each can be slightly or more different than the others. For example: unlike the rest of the other plants, Myosotis alpestris need somewhere sunny and rather dry.
Myosotis palustris needs enough moisture in the soil and a semi-shaded spot.
A rock garden design is ideal for planting forget-me-nots. That can be a carpet for spring and summer bulbs. In short, these plants cannot be way too dry or too wet.
There has to be a moderation between a state of drenches with dryness.
In other words, streams and creek beds are the winners when it comes to planting forget-me-nots.
After finding the right location for planting, next is the seeds. Making or acquiring forget-me-not seeds is easy. These plants are freely self-seeding.
Still, your first step is to incorporate some organic material, whether it is compost or manure into planting beds.
Sowing the seeds can take a week or two before they germinate into the flower beds after the frost. If you want the flowers to bloom earlier, you can sow them indoors during winter.
When you plant them outdoors, add more mulch, so that can help the forget-me-not seeds to germinate well. The mulch works wonders in retaining moisture and suppressing weeds.
How to propagate forget-me-nots from the already established plants? Just separate the clumps.
E. How To Care for Forget-Me-Nots
When it comes to caring for forget-me-nots, there are four (4) points to consider:
1. Keeping the soil moist
As mentioned earlier, forget-me-nots cannot have the soil too dry or too wet. To keep it moist, drip irrigation and soaking it with a hose work well.
2. Fertilisers required
Choose the slow-releasing, balanced all-purpose granular fertiliser to apply once per season. Spring is the best. Apply according to the manual.
3. Pruning and shaping the plants
As ground cover plants, pruning an shaping them can be quite a task.
4. Pests and diseases to control
Aphids and flea beetles the leaf-puncturers can be controlled with insecticidal soap sprays.
F. About Chinese Forget-Me-Not
One last thing to point out is the existence of the Chinese forget-me-not. Although not considered as a forget-me-not flower, this one looks very similar to the other forget-me-nots. They are also tiny blue flowers and easy to grow.
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