Care Instructions for Forget-Me-Nots
Forget-me-nots (Myosotis sylvatica) produce small, delicate blooms that liven up the landscape during the spring and summer. Resistant to deer and pollution, the low-maintenance plants thrive naturally in woodlands and stream banks. Clusters of daisy-like blooms in shades of blue, yellow, pink and white only bloom for one season and die out when the summer ends, but they self-sow in the same spot to produce new plants the following year. Care for the cheerful plants so they thrive in your garden. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Drip irrigation or garden hose
- Leaf mold or bark mulch
- General-purpose fertilizer
- Spray bottle
- Soapy solution
- Clippers
- Garbage bag
Instructions
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Grow forget-me-nots in a garden bed along the edge of a pond, fountain or landscape water feature that retains moisture. Ensure the planting site is exposed to partial shade; however, the plants thrive in full sunlight if you provide adequate irrigation.
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Irrigate the perennial plants when the top 1/2 inch of soil feels dry to the touch. Use a drip irrigation system or garden hose to provide a slow stream of water that fully saturates the root zone. Intolerant of dry soils, forget-me-nots may require irrigation twice a week, depending on the weather and soil conditions.
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Spread 2 inches of mulch around the base of the plants to retain soil moisture and prevent weed infestations. Maintain consistent mulch levels year-round, and replenish as needed every year in the spring.
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Feed each forget-me-not plant a general-purpose fertilizer in the spring when growth resumes. Provide the fertilizer at the minimum rate specified on the label.
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Spray the plants with warm, soapy water if you notice pests such as aphids and spider mites. Clip off browning foliage that you come across after spraying the plants.
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Cut back forget-me-not plants to the ground in the fall, after the frost kills their foliage. Dig the plants out of the soil, along with their roots, as dead plants may provide wintering options for undesirable pests and organisms. Dispose the plant matter in a knotted garbage bag.
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Tips & Warnings
Enrich the soil with organic amendments such as well-rotted manure or compost prior to planting.
Although forget-me-nots thrive in consistently moist soils, avoid overwatering, which can cause root rot.
Forget-me-nots are susceptible to diseases such as rust, mold and powdery mildew that typically occur during moist and humid conditions. Watering the plants at soil level, as opposed to overhead irrigation, reduces the chances of disease. If symptoms of a particular disease occur, treat the plants with a registered fungicide.
References
- Photo Credit Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images
