Ornamental · Boraginaceae
Forget-me-not
Myosotis sylvatica
Plant it once for a spring carpet of tiny blue flowers, and it sows the next generation for you.
Full sun
Every 3–7 days
56–70 days
USDA 3–8
Overview
Forget-me-not is the plant behind those drifts of tiny sky-blue flowers that fill in around spring bulbs. It belongs to the borage family and comes from Europe and Asia, where it grows in damp woodland and along streambanks. In the garden it stays low and modest, a biennial that flowers in its second spring and then leaves seedlings to carry on.
What makes it easy is also what makes it a handful. It seeds itself freely and roots from creeping stems, so a single planting can become a patch and then a colony. That generosity is welcome under tulips and daffodils, but it pays to keep an eye on it where it can slip into wild ground.
Give it rich, steadily moist soil and a little afternoon shade in hot regions, and it more or less runs itself. The flowers open in April and May, with stray blooms drifting on into summer, and the plant tolerates cold remarkably well, hardy down to 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. Deadhead after bloom to rein in the self-seeding.
Light
Forget-me-not takes full sun through partial shade, and it's happiest with morning sun and a break from the afternoon where summers turn hot. Too much heat with too little shade stresses the plant and invites mildew.
Water
Keep the soil consistently moist and never let it bake dry, especially in heat. The plant even shrugs off the odd spell of wet feet or shallow standing water, so err toward damp rather than dry.
Soil
Plant in rich, well-drained loam or clay loaded with organic matter. A pH from 6.1 to 7.5 suits it, spanning slightly acidic to mildly alkaline, so most garden beds will do.
Temperature
This is a tough, cold-hardy plant, comfortable up to about 86°F (30°C) and able to survive winter lows near -40°F (-40°C). Heat is the bigger problem than cold, since hot, muggy spells bring on disease.
Humidity
Ordinary outdoor humidity is fine and there's no number to hit. Airflow matters more than the reading, because damp, crowded foliage is exactly where powdery mildew and rust get started.
Feeding
Forget-me-not is not a heavy feeder. Work a little balanced fertilizer or compost into rich soil at planting and leave it there, since steady feeding through the season isn't needed.
Pruning
Deadhead or shear off the spent flower cymes right after bloom to push more flowers and curb the self-seeding. Cut back tired or mildewed foliage at the same time to tidy the plant.
Repotting
It rarely needs repotting and is usually grown straight in the ground. If you do keep one in a container, move it up only when roots circle or push through the drainage holes or the soil dries out far too fast.
Size & spacing
Plants stay small at 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) tall with a spread of 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 cm). Give each a little elbow room so air can move through and the leaves stay dry.
When to plant
Forget-me-not works on a two-year clock. Start seed indoors 8 to 10 weeks before the last frost for flowers the same year, or sow it outdoors in mid-summer for bloom the following spring. Expect the main show in April and May, with a few stray flowers carrying on 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 trouble-free, and what goes wrong tends to show up on the leaves or in its tendency to spread. Learn the early signs and a quick response keeps things in check. Match what you see below, then act before it gets ahead of you.
Seedlings popping up everywhere and crowding their neighbors
Forget-me-not is a prolific self-seeder, and creeping stems root as they travel to form clonal patches. Left alone it can swamp a bed and even escape the garden. Deadhead the spent flower cymes before seed drops, pull the volunteers you don't want, and lift any rooted runners.
Fix:
- Deadhead and remove flower cymes immediately after bloom to limit seeding
- Pull unwanted volunteer seedlings
- Remove rooted creeping stems to control spread
Dusty white film coating the leaves and stems
This is powdery mildew, and it takes hold where plants sit crowded in still, humid air. The film wipes off but keeps coming back until the air starts moving. Thin or space the plants, water at the soil line, and shear back the worst of it 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
Orange or brown pustules dotting the leaves
Raised rusty bumps on the foliage point to rust, a fungus that thrives when the leaves stay wet. Pull and destroy the marked leaves as soon as you spot them. Keep water off the foliage and open the planting up 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
Good news for households with pets or small children: true forget-me-not is not considered toxic. The NC State Extension Plant Toolbox lists no poison data for it, and the ASPCA doesn't flag it either. The only real caution is not to confuse it with Chinese forget-me-not, a different plant with harmful alkaloids.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
Safe for cats. A curious nibble of leaf or flower won't poison your cat, though a big mouthful of any plant can lead to a little drooling or a passing upset stomach.
Dogs None
Safe for dogs. The plant carries no toxin that puts a dog at risk, so a stray bite from the garden is nothing to worry about.
Horses Safe
Safe for horses. True forget-me-not isn't the toxic look-alike, Chinese forget-me-not, so grazing near a patch poses no real danger.
Rabbits Safe
Safe for rabbits, who can browse the foliage without harm. As with any green, work new plants into the diet slowly rather than all at once.
Livestock Safe
Safe for cattle, goats, and sheep. The species holds only trace alkaloids and is not flagged as a poisonous pasture plant.
Birds Safe
Safe for birds. Backyard hens and wild visitors can peck at the seeds and foliage with no ill effect.
People Safe
Safe for people, and the small blue flowers are sometimes used as an edible garnish. There's no need to fence it off from children.
Generally considered safe; as with any plant, discourage pets and small children from eating large amounts of foliage or flowers.
Varieties
Most forget-me-nots sold for the garden are selections of this one species, picked mainly for flower color and habit. These are the ones you'll come across most.
Victoria Blue
A compact cultivar grown for its rich blue flowers and tidy, mounded habit.
Victoria Rose
A pink-flowered selection that swaps the usual sky blue for soft rose.
Snowball
A white-flowered form that reads cool and clean against darker foliage.
Blue Basket
A taller blue-flowered selection that stands a little above the rest.
Ultramarine
A selection prized for its deep, dark-blue flowers.
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, but you can give it a hand from seed or by splitting an established clump.
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 forget-me-not makes it easy on you. Start it indoors 8 to 10 weeks before the last frost for flowers the same year, or scatter it outdoors in mid-summer and wait for bloom the following spring. Seedlings take a few weeks to get going, and once a patch is established it self-seeds freely, sometimes more than you bargained for.
DivisionEasy
Spring or after flowering · A few weeks once rooted
You can also split an established clump in spring or once the flowers fade. The creeping, stolon-like stems root as they spread and throw off clonal offsets, so lift one of those rooted pieces, separate it, and replant it. It settles in within a few weeks and matches the parent exactly.
Myths
All forget-me-nots are dangerously poisonous to pets.
True forget-me-not, Myosotis sylvatica, is not reported as toxic and stays off the ASPCA toxic plant list. The danger belongs to a different plant entirely, 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 North American native wildflower.
Myosotis sylvatica is native to Europe and Asia, not North America. It has escaped cultivation and naturalized across parts of the continent, and a few Midwestern areas now treat it as a noxious weed.