The forget-me-not (Myosotis) is popular with many gardeners. This is a gorgeous spring bloomer that produces frothy blue flowers. The plant is a good complement to other spring flowers and makes a wonderful background for taller plants. It is also perfect for flower boxes. There are some specific care measures you should keep in mind if you want your plants to thrive. How to plant and care for forget-me-nots, read on!
Step-by-step instructions for sowing from seeds
It's easy to sow forget-me-not seeds indoors or plant mature plants directly in the garden. How to proceed:
- Forget-me-nots can be grown from seeds in early spring. Sow seeds indoors up to 10 weeks before the last frost. They need a warm and bright environment so that they can germinate properly. For sowing, choose a pot or tray with drainage holes. Fill them with potting soil. Scatter two to three seeds per inch over the soil surface. Then press the surface. Water thoroughly.
- Be sure to,that you have the seedskeep evenly moist until germination while they germinate and form roots.
- Once the seedlings have two sets of true leaves, it's time to harden them off. This happens gradually. Expose the seedlings to outdoor conditions, but not all at once. One hour a day is enough. Make sure to place the seedlings in an outdoor location protected from the wind and sun to avoid stress. Gradually increase the time your seedlings spend outdoors. You can leave them outside for an additional hour each day. Over time, gradually expose them to more and more sunlight until they are cured.
Which location to choose for the flowers outdoors
Once your seedlings are ready for planting, choose a suitable spot for them. The plants like full sun, so you should have a full sun location available. A location that is in partial shade in the afternoon would be just as suitable. What kind of soil is suitable for the flowers? If you are planting forest forget-me-nots, normal garden soil is perfect; If you are planting real forget-me-nots, you will need soil that is well-drained because the plant needs a lot of water.
All species tolerate poor, infertile soils, but they thrive best in soils rich in organic matter. Plant forget-me-nots in moist but well-drained soil in a sunny or partially shaded spot. You can also plant forget-me-nots with other shade-loving plants such as: B. Plant hosta to create an eye-catcher in the garden.
How to plant forget-me-nots in the garden
After preparing the site for your flowers, plant the seedlings in your garden. Here's how to do it: Dig holes four to six centimeters apart, making each hole slightly larger than the root ball of your plants. Then remove each plant from the container, loosen its root ball, place it in the hole, and then fill it with soil.
When are the flowers blooming?
If you want your plants to bloom this summer, you can plant them in the spring. If you're up for itdecide your seedlingsIf you plant them in summer or early fall, you will have to wait because the flowers will not bloom until the following season.
Care tips for the delicate plants
Once you have planted the plants, water them generously so that the soil becomes firm and the roots grow well. Forest forget-me-nots like regular watering. How do you know when to water? Water the plants when the top two to three inches of soil is dry. When it comes to true forget-me-nots, you have to consider that they are swamp plants, meaning they thrive in or next to very moist soil, so don't let them dry out.
Check your forget-me-nots regularly for weeds and remove them so that the flowers can thrive. Another important tip: Remove old flowers to encourage new growth and also ensure lush blooms. If a flower begins to wilt, cut the flower back to the first leafy stem.
This will also help you control the spread of your forget-me-nots because wilting flowers will drop seeds that will bloom next year. You can grow the flowers as annuals. To do this, you need to leave some of the flowers, which will naturally provide the bed with new growth next season.
Control the growth of flowers. Forget-me-nots can quickly reseed and spread to other areasSpread out in your garden, if you don't take action. If you want to limit the forget-me-not to a specific spot in your garden, cut off the flowers so it doesn't drop too many seeds. You can also forgo perennial varieties and opt for biennial or annual varieties that don't grow back every year.
