Kinds of Flowers: Forget-Me-Nots

Forget-me-not plants produce tiny blue or white flowers.

Forget-me-nots grow low to the ground and produce tiny white flowers or blue flowers with yellow centers. These flowering plants have some benefits and drawbacks that gardeners should consider before planting them.

Features

Forget-me-nots grow to heights of 8 to 20 inches. Their creeping growth pattern makes them work well as a ground cover. They have oblong leaves that stay green all year.

Benefits

Forget-me-nots grow better in shaded areas than most annuals. They also tolerate more consistently damp conditions than other annuals, according to Clemson University Extension, although they do not grow in incredibly wet soils. Gardeners also like forget-me-nots because deer do not eat them.

Warning

The U.S. Department of Agriculture warns that forget-me-nots can become invasive. Gardeners may need to cut them back regularly to keep them from spreading too far or competing with other nearby plants.

Geography

Forget-me-not grows across most of the U.S. and much of Canada, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It does not grow in Texas, some of the central states, Florida or South Carolina.

References

• University of Connecticut: Invasive Plant Atlas of New England: Catalog of Species Search
• University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Plants Deer Will Not Eat
• Clemson University Extension: Growing Annuals
• U.S. Department of Agriculture: PLANTS Profile for Myosotis scorpioides (True Forget-Me-Not)
• University of Illinois Extension: Annuals for Specific Uses