Quite often, this modest plant is called the "Queen of May." One legend says that these blue flowers are scattered across the earth by angels so that people at least occasionally recall the sky.
In addition, despite the fact that the
name of the flower in different languages is noticeably different, among all peoples it has practically the same meaning - "do not forget me." In this article we will talk about how to grow such a touching and symbolizing devotion and fidelity perennial, like garden forget-me-not.
Legends and beliefs
In many European countries in ancient times, forget-me-nots was honored as a special plant and even celebrated in her honor. In Russia, this flower was also called a handmaid, feverish and witching grass. Our ancestors believed that if you put on a beloved wreath of forget-me-nots, then it will bewitch it stronger than any witchcraft.
In Germany, there is still a widespread belief that forget-me-not gardening can open a treasure, as well as help to find out the name of the bridegroom. Blacksmiths in many countries believed that steel, hardened in the juice of this fragile plant, became more durable and light, and a blade made of it could cut iron.
Botanical characteristic
Forget-me-not garden blue, alpine and any other belongs to the genus of forget-me-nots (Myosotis) of the Boraginaceae family. In total, there are about 80 species in the Myosotis genus, with 30 of them growing in our country. Other types of forget-me-nots can be found in the temperate climates of Europe and America, Asia and South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.
Forget-me-nots are herbaceous plants that prefer moist and shaded places. The height of the highly branching stem of this plant can vary from 10 to 40 cm. It has sessile leaves of a pointed lanceolate shape. Petals of its many colors can be painted in blue, blue, pink, white and even cream color. Forget-me-not garden forms racemose inflorescences. It blooms from May to mid-July, after which it forms fruits - nuts, in which black, very small oval-shaped seeds ripen. When the fruits crack, the seeds fall to the ground and germinate. As a result of such self-seeding, a rather strong seedling is obtained, capable of overwintering in the conditions of our winters.
Views for the garden
Despite the great species diversity and many different modern varieties, the following forget-me-nots are most often used in floriculture and decorative gardening:
- marsh (Myosotis palustris);
- forest (M. caespitosa);
- Alpine (M. alpestris);
- spaced flowering (M. dissitiflora);
- Alpine garden (M. x hybrida hort).
In gardens, a special cultural form is most often found - forget-me-not Alpine garden.
On the basis of it and the species listed above, various hybrids have been created today and many varieties have been developed that differ not only in the color of the petals.
Popular varieties
Today, garden forget-me-nots with flowers painted in various shades of pink are popular:
- Victoria Rose
- Rosilv.
- Carmen King.
- Pink dawn.
- Hope.
Blue and blue garden forget-me-nots are always in demand, the cultivation of which is exactly the same as the flowers of a different color.
Such dark blue varieties as Blue King, Indigo, Blue Basket, Ultramarine are quite widespread. Fans of sky blue and light blue will be pleased with such varieties of garden forget-me-nots like Music, Blue Dali, Kompini, Miro, Victoria, Pompadour.
We select a place
Such a plant as a garden forget-me-not, prefers loose, moderately nutritious and moist soils with good drainage in a light shade. A flower can grow in the sun, but it displays its decorative qualities most fully in partial shade. Do not plant forget-me-nots on very rich soils, as the plant begins to “fatten” and forms a powerful bush that hardly blooms.
Beautiful forget-me-not garden: planting and care
This delicate flower can be propagated in a variety of ways. You can sow seeds directly in open ground or grow seedlings, divide the formed bush. In the case of particularly rare varietal specimens, propagation by cuttings is possible.
The most easily accessible way that garden forget-me-nots propagates is by growing from seeds directly in the open ground.
Such a landing is carried out on warm and dry days of June or July, having previously prepared the soil in the area: they dig the soil, add about 30 g of nitrophosphate and 3-4 kg of humus mixed with peat to 1 m
2 . Then the
topsoil is again dug up, leveled and well shed with water. Then they make shallow furrows in the soil, where tiny forget-me-not seeds are sown. Sprinkle them on top with fine river sand and gently compact it. Landings are covered with a
non-woven covering material or film and left for two weeks. Shoots appear depending on temperature and other external factors, as a rule, this occurs after 14 days. They are opened and thinned out.
In the first year, plants will form only a rosette of leaves, but will bloom in the second year after planting.
Propagation through seedlings
Usually the cultivation of garden forget-me-nots through seedlings is carried out for annual varieties, such as, for example, Mon Ami Blue. Seeds are sown superficially in pre-prepared containers with well-moistened soil in late March - early April. For seedlings make a special soil mixture consisting of fine river sand and sod land in a ratio of 1: 2. Before seedlings appear, containers with seeds, covered with glass or polyethylene, are kept at a temperature of +20 ... +23 0 , and after five days it is lowered to +18 ... +20 0 . All this time the seedlings should be well lit.
After the emergence of sprouts, you can feed with weak solutions of mineral fertilizers and water as the top layer of the soil dries. In May, seedlings, often already with buds, are planted in open ground, covering them for the first time both from the burning sun and from return frosts. By the end of July, the plants will already bloom and their seeds will ripen.
We create conditions
After the plant has been planted in a permanent place, it needs to provide moderate regular watering and top dressing with mineral fertilizers. When watering, you should try not to get water on the plant itself, but to direct the stream closer to the roots.
The first top dressing is carried out before flowering about 14 days after planting the plant in a permanent place. For this purpose, complex mineral fertilizers dissolved in water according to the instructions are suitable. In the autumn, organic and
mineral fertilizers are applied to the soil under the forget-me-nots
, and in the spring, a small, about 5 cm, layer of peat mixture or well-rotted compost mixed with garden soil is added under the bushes. It is important to remember that garden forget-me-not is quite aggressive and quickly spreads self-seeding. To prevent this, you should immediately remove the faded branches, thereby preventing seed set and their further unauthorized "movement" in your area.