Water Forget-Me-Not (Myosotis scorpiodes) is a perennial with delicate sprays of sky-blue, tiny flowers adorned with yellow centers in late-spring/early-summer in Sunnyvale (USDA zone 9). The sprays (cymes), up to 12 inches tall, resemble a coiled scorpion’s tail, hence the name. The flowers rise on a semi-evergreen foliage of shiny, oblong, bright green leaves. Easy care, resilient to most pests, it sprawls on the ground to form an attractive flower carpet. Ideal for water gardens and wet areas.
New for our Sunnyvale garden in 2022…Bought from Annies Annual nursery in Richmond CA. We grow it in a wide (16-inch) and shallow pot.
- Grows up to 6-12 inches tall and 9-12 inches wide. This plant will self-seed and spread by creeping rhizomes without being overly aggressive.
- Easy to grow in full sun or part shade, in organically rich, moist to wet soils.
- Low maintenance
- Pinch young plant to promote bushiness. Cut back after flowering and it will re-bloom later in the year.
Native to the U.S., forget-me-nots are easy to grow here. This is a pretty wildflower that will do its own thing. But, to maximize the look of your flower garden, pick some of these flowers to go with them:
- Spring bulbs. Plant your forget-me-nots amongst the daffodil and tulip bulbs that bloom in early spring. You’ll get the bulbs first, then the forget-me-nots, with a little overlap that adds great visual interest to a bed.
- Shade foliage. When planting next to forget-me-nots, don’t forget the greenery. For your shady areas, you can combine forget-me-nots with ferns, hostas, or the various foliage colors of heuchera.
- Rock cress. Another pretty and prolific bloomer, rock cress creeps and drapes over ledges, but also spreads out to form a low mat of color in late spring and summer. With forget-me-nots behind it, you will have two layers of pretty colors.
- Roses. Roses have all of their beauty up at the top, with the blooms. Most gardeners prefer to cover up their thorny legs and forget-me-not plants make a great choice for the job, as they will grow up to about two feet tall.
