Chinese Forget-Me-Not

Day 3

As many of the flowers included in my package of seed are ones of which I have never heard of before, I thought it would fun to take some time to learn a little about each type of flower, and I figured I would just start at the top and work my way down. So the flower of today is Chinise Forget-Me-Not. Though I have heard of Foget-Me-Nots before, and in fact they are one of my faveorite flowers, and I have been wanting a Forget-Me-Not plant for a while, and was quite exicited about them. They are also the state flower of Alaska. Though I have not heard of of the Chinese varity of Forget-Me-Not before.

Chinese Forget-Me-Not

Chinese forget-me-not, also called hound's tongue, is of special value for the clear, sky-blue color of the flowers. They bloom all summer, and are especially good in cool climates. The Chinese in its common name comes from its origin in Asia, although it also resembles the true forget-me-not (Myosotis). "Hound's tongue" refers to its leaves, which have a furry surface and are shaped like a dog's tongue

Chinese forget-me-not is a biennial most often grown as an annual. The plants grow to 2 feet tall with flowers appearing as sprays above the plant. The foliage is gray-green. There are also pink and white forms that are not widely available.

Grow in full sun or partial shade in a rich, well-drained soil, high in organic matter. Except in regions with cool summers, they are more successful in full sun if the soil is kept evenly moist, but not soggy. Feed lightly or mix a slow-release fertilizer into the soil before planting. They may be planted outdoors in spring as soon as the soil is workable. Space 8 to 12 inches apart.

Grow them as a source of sky-blue color in beds or borders. They're also striking in beds all by themselves or mixed with other flowers to tone down hot colors or to complement a range of pastels

11:52 AM - 6/22/2007 - post comment

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