Start Planting Forget-Me-Nots In Spring: Choose A Light Area With Dappled Shade
Ed is a horticultural therapist, professional gardener and writer. Ed has a BSc in Occupational Therapy from Coventry University and a Diploma in Social and Therapeutic Horticulture (DipSTH) via Thive, the RHS and Pershore College. Ed runs a community kitchen garden in West Sussex, where he leads horticultural therapy sessions.
Reviewed By COLIN SKELLY
Colin is a Horticulturist and Horticultural Consultant with experience in a range of practical and managerial roles across heritage, commercial and public horticulture. He holds the Royal Horticultural Society’s Master of Horticulture award and has a particular interest in horticultural ecology and naturalistic planting for habitat and climate resilience.
IN THIS GUIDE
Myosotis sylvatica is a woodland perennial native to the UK, that displays beautiful bright blue flowers from late spring onwards.
With delicate single flowers loved by pollinators, forget-me-nots are perennial and will only bloom the following year after germinating.
However, mature plants are available to purchase, which, if planted out in spring, should flower later in the year.
Here’s a simple process for planting forget-me-nots:
- Source plants from a local garden centre or transplant self-seeded plants.
- Choose a suitable growing space in light or dappled shade.
- Plant out the forget-me-nots in a suitable growing medium.
- Care for your plants with the right watering routine and deadhead if you’d prefer them not to self-seed.
This process is explained in more depth below.
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Equipment Required | Gloves and a trowel or a spade. |
| When To Plant Out | May-June |
When To Plant
Mature forget me not plants can be planted out from late spring to early summer, typically from May to June, once all risk of frost has passed.
1) Source Your Plants
Forget-me-nots self-seed naturally and produce young plants that can be transplanted around the garden or potted up.
Alternatively, plants that can flower in the same season can be purchased from online suppliers and garden centres.
2) Choose A Suitable Location
Forget-me-nots are hardy woodland plants that thrive in light or dappled shade.
They are perfect for underplanting shrubs and roses and can also provide attractive and excellent ground cover for a shady border.
Unfussy about the soil’s acidity, forget-me-nots prefer moist but free-draining soil and grow well whether in a sheltered or exposed location.
3) Planting Out
When planting out forget-me-nots directly into the ground, they will cope with most soils, as long as it has good drainage, which, if necessary, can be improved by adding some organic matter or horticultural grit to the soil.
To move a self-seeded forget-me-not, or plant a purchased one in a pot, dig a hole at least as deep and twice as wide as its current pot or root system.
Place the plant at the same depth it was previously planted at, backfill around the plant with soil, gently firming in as you go, and water it in well.
If planting in a container, the process is much the same apart from using a free draining and peat-free potting mix or multipurpose compost.
However, any container or pot used must have adequate drainage holes present to allow any excess water to freely escape.
4) Aftercare
Preferring moist soil, forget-me-nots do not like to be allowed to dry out, so regular watering, especially for those grown in containers and during hot and dry spells, is recommended.
Once the flowers have bloomed, the plants can either be left to naturally self-seed to produce future plant generations or deadheaded and lifted to prevent them from spreading.
