Forget-me-not (Myosotis)


As the name says, the forget me not is a flower of remembrance.

They are the traditional flower of lovers and are a sign of love and faithfulness.

They supposedly got their name when a young couple in the thirteenth century were walking along beside the river Avon.
The knight - Sir Tristan stooped down to gather the wild flowers growing in the meadow to give to his love.

Being a gallant knight he was dressed in his gleaming armour and this caused him to lose his balance and fall into the river.

His lady was distraught and called for the squire to bring his horse to rescue him. But too late!

The sheer weight of that gleaming armour dragged him down into the depths. Sir Tristan managed to throw the flowers on to the bank and gasp "Forget-me-not, my lady!" before he was dragged down to his watery end.


It is said that the lady in question did indeed never forget him - she later had her servants dig up some of the plants and tended them herself.

The following year to escape her father's wish that she marry another - she fled to a nunnery taking the plants with her.

Forget-me-nots were very popular with the Victorians and have delightful blue flowers which have a delicate fragrance.
Today you can get white, purple or pink flowered varieties. They have small, 5-petal flowers on thin stalks.

How to grow Forget-me-nots

• Are very easy to grow
• They are hardy biennials - which means you sow the seed one year and the next year they flower.
• Sow the seeds outside in late spring until early summer
• Transplant your little plants in the autumn to where you want them to flower next spring.

• Forget-me-nots do best in partial shade
• However they are quite accommodating and will grow in full sun as long as you water them regularly.
• Will self seed easily but they are quick to weed out or transplant.

• They do best in fertile, well-drained soil
• But they will grow in most soils
• Depending on type they will grow to approx 8 - 12 inches.
  Planting Tips
  
  • Massed planting under trees or shrubs.
  • Plant them with late flowering daffodils
  • Pink or red tulips and white or pink daisies
  • Or try with blue muscari.
  Also available are the annual variety which flower in late summer. These should be sown where they are to flower in March.
  Sometimes Forget-me-nots can become confused with another blue summer flowering plant - Anchusa capensis, so look out for the name Myosotis!
  
  

  The alpine forget me not Myosotis alpestris is the state flower for Alaska.

  
  
  Enjoy your garden!