NOT FORGOTTEN
Forget-me-nots are aptly named when you get to this part of the year. I know I need to start yanking out the sea of blue that engulfs the garden each spring when the cats come in with forget-me-not seeds matted in their fur and I am pulling them out of leggings and socks.
The seeds tiny and come in a hairy covering that adheres to any passing surface enabling the plant to spread itself far and wide and giving this delightful biennial its name.
Most gardeners have a love-hate relationship with forget me nots. We love them when they cover the soil and prevent other weeds from growing and blanket boring bits of the garden with their blue flowers that are usually buzzing with bees seeking nectar. We hate them when it’s time to uproot them to reduce self-seeding. They can also be hit with the brushcutter if you need to do a very quick tidy.
Other forget-me-nots
The common forget-me-not (Myosotis arvensis) isn’t the only spring-flowering plant with forget-me-not blue flowers. Looking splendid and without the threat of world domination, is the handsome Chatham Island forget-me-not (Myosotidium hortensia), which forms clumps of large bright green shiny evergreen leaves and has sprays of blue flowers. As the common name suggests, this plant comes from Chatham Island, a small island off the South Island of New Zealand where it grows wild and looks spectacular.
My plant is doing well in well-drained soil with winter to spring sun and dappled summer shade. It forms a lush clump about 50cm high and wide. It needs to be well watered through summer and on hot days but is otherwise trouble free in the Tassie climate. It isn’t often stocked in garden centres but it is available at plant fairs and from mail-order suppliers including The Diggers Club (available in 2020).
Totally forgotten
Much easier to come by and also with sprays of forget-me-not flowers is brunnera also known as bugloss or false forget-me-not (Brunnera macrophylla). I first encountered this plant on a garden tour of the UK. It was the first plant at the first garden on the first garden tour I’d led and I didn’t know what it was. Before I’d entered the garden and before anyone asked me its name, I called my mother back in Australia to ask her! Thankfully she recognised my panicked description (dark blue forget-me-not flowers and heart-shaped leaves growing in the shade) and told me and I haven’t forgotten false forget-me-not since.
Brunnera is more common in gardens now than a decade or so ago. A variety with variegated silvery white and green leaves is sold as Jack Frost. It and the many other cultivars are wonderful plants for shaded gardens.
One more
When I posted pictures of my forget-me-not collection on Facebook recently, keen gardener and sweet pea grower Kerin-Lea Hall responded with yet another. Her contribution was Omphalodes cappadocica Cherry Ingram, which has distinctly blue forget-me-not flowers. It’s now on my list to find and grow. Better still, I’ll be looking out for it when I visit Kerin-Lea’s garden along with another nine private gardens as part of Longford Blooms later this month.