Sowing Myosotis: Harvest And Use Seeds From The Pods Of Existing Plants

PERENNIALS > MYOSOTIS > SOWING

Myosotis sylvatica, or forget-me-nots as they are far more widely known, are hardy shade-loving perennials that produce stunning bright blue flowers in late spring to early summer.

Loved by pollinators, forget-me-nots are often grown as part of informal, woodland and cottage gardens and, since growing best in the dappled shade, are perfect to underplant roses and shrubs with.

Growing forget-me-nots from seed can be very rewarding, but patience is required as the plants will only flower the following year.

Here’s a simple process for growing forget-me-not from seed:

1. Harvest seeds from the pods of existing plants or purchase seeds from your chosen retailer.
2. Fill shallow pots with a peat-free growing medium.
3. Sow the seeds into the pots or sow directly into the ground.

This process is explained in more depth below.

Difficulty	Easy
Equipment Required	Gloves, shallow pot or seed tray, compost, rake
When To Prune	May-July

When To Sow Myosotis

Forget-me-not seeds can be sown indoors in early spring or autumn, or sown directly into the ground in late spring to early summer.

1) Harvest Seeds

Forget-me-nots self-seed naturally, but their seed can be purchased from most seed suppliers and also be collected to sow elsewhere.

To harvest the seed, wait until the plant has flowered and allow it to dry until the stems and seed pods turn brown.

Pull up the plant or cut the spent flower stems off and extract the small black seeds to store in a dry and dark environment.

2) Fill Shallow Pots With Potting Soil

If sowing indoors, fill a seed or module tray or shallow pot with a free-draining seed sowing compost and lightly tamp down.

3) Sow Seeds

In Trays

To sow the forget-me-not seeds, thinly scatter the seeds on top of the compost or sow 1-2 seeds per module.

Gently press the seeds into the compost for good soil contact and cover them with a layer of compost.

Water gently to avoid dispersing the seeds and place them on a warm windowsill or in a propagator at a temperature of approximately 17-21°C.

Once germinated and when the seedlings are large enough to handle, carefully prick out the seedlings and pot on individually into small pots, using peat-free multi-purpose compost.

Grow on undercover in a light position but out of direct sunlight and gradually harden off before planting out in their final position, with a spacing of 20-30cm.

In The Ground

Forget-me-nots can be sown direct from late spring to early summer, to flower the following year.

“I let the Myosotis do the seed sowing for me late winter and early spring I remove seedlings from where I don’t want them,” shares Master Horticulturist Colin Skelly.

“I then pot these on into 6cm or 9cm pots (depending on their size) for growing on before replanting where I do want them. They can also be directly replanted if you know where you want to move them.”

Prior to sowing, prepare the soil by raking to a fine tilth and water so that the ground is damp.

The seed can either be sown by thinly scattering and then covering with a thin layer of soil or by planting the seeds 1cm deep where they are to grow and then covering them over.

Gently water the soil after sowing, being careful not to displace the seeds and keep the ground moist over the summer months.

Once germinated, thin the seedlings to 20-30cm to grow in situ and bloom the following spring.

Forget-me-nots will naturally self-seed after flowering and produce plants for the future.

However, if you don’t want the plants to freely self-seed, they can be deadheaded or lifted after blooming.