Ornamental · Boraginaceae
Forget-me-not
Myosotis sylvatica
From one planting comes a low spring carpet of tiny five-petaled blue flowers, and it seeds the next wave itself.
Full sun
Every 3–7 days
56–70 days
USDA 3–8
Overview
Forget-me-not opens clusters of tiny sky-blue flowers, each a small, flat, five-petaled disc, carried in coiled sprays that uncurl as they bloom. It belongs to the borage family and comes from Europe and Asia, where it grows in damp woodland and along streambanks. The plant itself stays low and slight, a biennial that holds its flowers until the second spring and then sets the seed that follows.
The same low, soft growth that makes it charming up close also lets it travel. It seeds itself freely and roots from creeping stems that lie along the soil, so one small plant fills out into a patch and then a colony. The blue knits neatly among tulips and daffodils, and the roaming stems are worth watching where they can reach wild ground.
Set in rich, steadily moist soil with a little afternoon shade in hot regions, it grows almost on its own. The flowers come in April and May, small and clear blue, with a few stray blooms drifting into summer, and the low foliage is tough enough to hold through harsh winter lows.
Care
The short version: rich, consistently moist soil, full sun to part shade with afternoon shade where summers are hot, and a light feed at planting. Clipping the faded flower clusters after bloom keeps the self-seeding down.
Light
Forget-me-not takes full sun through partial shade, and it shows its best color and fullest, freshest leaves with morning sun and a break from the afternoon where summers are hot. Heat with too little shade leaves the foliage tired and dusted with mildew.
Water
The soil stays consistently moist and never bakes dry, especially in heat, which keeps the soft leaves plump rather than limp. The plant even shrugs off a brief spell of wet feet or shallow standing water, so damp beats dry.
Soil
Plant it in rich, well-drained loam or clay thick with organic matter. A pH of 6.1 to 7.5 suits it, from slightly acidic to mildly alkaline, a range most garden beds already sit in.
Temperature
The plant is notably cold-hardy, comfortable to about 86°F (30°C) and able to survive winter lows near -40°F (-40°C). Heat troubles it more than cold, since hot, humid air settles on the leaves and brings on disease.
Humidity
Ordinary outdoor humidity is fine, with no number to reach. Airflow matters more than the reading, because damp, crowded leaves are where the powdery and rusty films of disease first appear.
Feeding
Forget-me-not is a light feeder. A little balanced fertilizer or compost worked into rich soil at planting is plenty, and steady feeding through the season adds nothing.
Pruning
Clip or shear the faded flower cymes right after bloom, the coiled sprays that have finished, to draw out more flowers and curb the seeding. Cut back any tired or mildew-dusted foliage at the same time to freshen the plant.
Repotting
It rarely needs repotting and usually grows in the open ground. In a container, move it up only when roots circle or push out of the drainage holes or the soil dries out far too fast.
Size & spacing
The plant stays low and compact, 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) tall with a spread of 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 cm), a small soft mound of leaves under the flower sprays. A little spacing lets air move and keeps those leaves dry.
When to plant
Forget-me-not works on a two-year clock. Seed started indoors 8 to 10 weeks before the last frost flowers the same year, while seed sown outdoors in mid-summer flowers the following spring. The flowers open across April and May, with a few lingering into summer.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: 8-10 weeks before the last spring frost for bloom the same year
- Plant: Direct sow in mid-summer for bloom the following spring, or transplant seedlings after frost
- Harvest: April to May, with sporadic intermittent bloom into mid-summer
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 3–8
Temperature: down to -40°C
Troubleshooting
Forget-me-not stays mostly clean, and what goes wrong leaves visible marks on the foliage or shows in a rash of new seedlings. The signs are easy to read up close. Match what you see on the leaves below, then act before it spreads.
A scatter of new seedlings crowding in around the parents
Forget-me-not is a heavy self-seeder, and its low creeping stems root where they touch the soil to form fresh patches. Left alone the small plants can carpet a bed and even slip past it. Clip the spent flower cymes before the seed drops, pull the volunteers you don't want, and lift the rooted creeping stems.
Fix:
- Deadhead and remove flower cymes immediately after bloom to limit seeding
- Pull unwanted volunteer seedlings
- Remove rooted creeping stems to control spread
A powdery white coating dusting the leaves and stems
That floury white coating is powdery mildew, and it settles where plants sit crowded in still, humid air. It rubs off the leaf surface but keeps returning until the air moves. Thin or space the plants, water at the soil line, and shear the worst-coated growth back after bloom.
Fix:
- Improve air circulation by thinning or spacing plants
- Remove and discard severely affected foliage
- Avoid overhead watering and water at the soil line
- Shear back heavily infected plants after bloom
Raised orange to brown bumps speckling the leaves
Small raised pustules in rusty orange, yellow, or brown across the leaf surfaces and undersides are rust, a fungus that takes hold when foliage stays wet. Pick off and destroy the spotted leaves as soon as they show. Keep water off the foliage and open the planting so the leaves dry fast after rain.
Fix:
- Remove and destroy infected leaves
- Avoid overhead watering to keep foliage dry
- Improve spacing and air movement
- Clean up plant debris at season end
Toxicity
For homes with pets or small children, the verdict is easy: true forget-me-not is not considered toxic. The NC State Extension Plant Toolbox records no poison data for it, and the ASPCA does not list it. The one thing to keep straight is the name, since Chinese forget-me-not is a separate plant that does carry harmful alkaloids.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
Safe for cats. Nibbling a leaf or petal will not poison a cat, though bolting down a large amount of any greenery may cause a bit of drool or a short-lived upset stomach.
Dogs None
Safe for dogs. No compound in the leaves or flowers threatens a dog, so a chance nibble from the bed does no damage.
Horses Safe
Safe for horses. The true species is not the harmful look-alike known as Chinese forget-me-not, so a horse cropping the grass near a stand comes to no harm.
Rabbits Safe
Safe for rabbits, free to graze the soft foliage unharmed. Like any new green, add it to the diet a little at a time rather than in one serving.
Livestock Safe
Safe for cattle, goats, and sheep. The species holds only trace alkaloids and isn't flagged as a poisonous pasture plant.
Birds Safe
Safe for birds. Hens in the yard and wild visitors alike can pick at the seed and leaf with no trouble.
People Safe
Safe for people, its tiny blue flowers now and then dropped onto a plate as an edible garnish. No barrier is needed to keep children from it.
Generally considered safe; as with any plant, discourage pets and small children from eating large amounts of foliage or flowers.
Varieties
Nearly all garden forget-me-nots are selections of this one species, set apart by the color of their small flowers and the shape of the plant. These are the forms you'll see most.
Victoria Blue
A compact selection carrying rich blue flowers above a tidy, mounded cushion of leaves.
Victoria Rose
A pink-flowered form whose small blooms come in soft rose instead of the usual sky blue.
Snowball
A white-flowered form whose clear white flowers stand out cool against darker leaves.
Blue Basket
A taller blue-flowered selection that holds its small flowers a little above the rest.
Ultramarine
A selection whose flowers deepen to a dark, saturated blue.
Companions
Forget-me-not earns its keep woven among spring bulbs, where its low blue haze fills the gaps and sets off taller flowers above it.
Plant near
Spring-flowering bulbs such as tulips and daffodils: Forget-me-not is recommended for interplanting with spring bulbs, where its blue flowers complement bulb displays and fill in around them.
How to propagate
Forget-me-not all but propagates itself. You can also guide it from seed or by splitting a clump that has already rooted along its creeping stems.
SeedEasy
Start indoors 8-10 weeks before last frost for same-year bloom, or sow outdoors in mid-summer for bloom the following spring · Several weeks to germinate and establish; biennial sowings bloom the next season
Seed is the usual route, and the fine seed starts easily. Sown indoors 8 to 10 weeks before the last frost it flowers the same year, while seed scattered outdoors in mid-summer flowers the following spring. The small seedlings take a few weeks to establish, and once a patch settles it self-seeds freely, sometimes more than expected.
DivisionEasy
Spring or after flowering · A few weeks once rooted
An established clump also divides in spring or once the flowers fade. The low creeping, stolon-like stems root as they spread and form clonal offsets, so lift one of those rooted pieces, separate it, and replant it. It roots again within a few weeks and grows up identical to the parent.
Myths
Each forget-me-not is a dangerous poison to cats and dogs.
True forget-me-not, Myosotis sylvatica, is not reported as toxic and stays off the ASPCA toxic plant list. The danger sits with a different plant, Chinese forget-me-not (Cynoglossum amabile), a separate genus whose pyrrolizidine alkaloids can harm a horse's liver with large or prolonged feeding.
Forget-me-not is a native North American wildflower of field and wood.
This plant traces back to Europe and Asia rather than North America. It has jumped the garden fence and naturalized across parts of the continent, and a few Midwestern areas now rank it a noxious weed.