A modest forest forget-me-not in the company of garden flowers
Every year in early June, sky-blue flowers appear against the backdrop of lush and lush greenery. Exquisite and gentle forest forget-me-not decorates natural landscapes everywhere. For centuries, the plant has attracted the attention of creative personalities and flora fans. Dozens of poems and songs have been written about him.
For example, the great Russian poet M. Yu. Lermontov eloquently describes a flower:
“In damp places, near swamps,
As if dreading the touch
He is looking for solitude there,
And it blooms with the color of the sky,
Where there is no death and there is no oblivion. "
"Blue Eyes of Inquisitive Guys"
The blossoming buds of a modest flower really resemble the wide-open eyes of small children. In addition, they reflect a piece of the sky and the bright sun. Undoubtedly, everyone will want to grow such beauty on their site. However, first we will consider the main signs of forest forget-me-not, in order to "make friends" with it.
The culture belongs to the Borachnikovye family. Grows up to 40 cm in height. It has a spreading stem of a branched character. Its surface is painted bright green. The plant is covered with foliage of various shapes. The basal plates resemble an oval, and those located along the shoots are elongated and slightly elongated. The back side is covered with villi.
In late May or early June, buds form against the backdrop of lush greenery. They are collected in 3-5 pieces in graceful inflorescences. The petals are painted in sky blue. In the center is a bright yellow speck. After pollination, the buds turn into miniature black nuts, about 2 mm in size. They are carried by the wind to the sides, giving life to new plants.
In their natural environment, flowers are found on the territory of such continents.:
- Eurasia;
- Australia;
- America;
- New Zealand.
Often, places where forget-me-not grows are reliably protected from the sun's rays by tree crowns or tall grass. And since flowers love a humid environment, they successfully develop in natural reservoirs... Scientists have over 60 varieties of forget-me-nots. Half of them are found in Russia.
Let's mark the most popular options:
- Alpine;
- Swamp;
- Hybrid.
Each of them has its own charms. Some grow up to 30 cm, while others barely reach 18 cm. Inflorescences are colored in different tones of blue and blue. The plant fits wonderfully into the landscape design of the summer cottage.
Despite the delicate branches, the flowers stand in the cut for about 25 days.
Forest forget-me-not for the soul
It is quite easy to grow a "piece" of the sky in a summer cottage if you follow the advice of experts.
They developed a scheme that includes a number of procedures:
- choice of location;
- loosening of the soil;
- seed preparation;
- growing seedlings;
- planting flowers.
When choosing a place for forget-me-nots on your site, it is important to take into account its habitat in nature. She loves wet glades and dense shade. In such non-standard conditions, the culture blooms for almost a month. In addition, the forest forget-me-not feels great in drafts and areas blown from all sides.
In the open area, it will also release buds, but the flowering period will only last 15 days.
A balanced approach to soil
The land in which flowers are planned to be planted must have a sufficient amount of moisture. In very wetlands, before planting, a drainage layer is placed on the bottom of the hole. Otherwise, excess water will lead to gradual decay of the roots. Despite this, flowers love light and fertile soil.
If necessary, top dressing is added to it:
- humus;
- sod land;
- peat.
The main thing is not to overdo it. Otherwise, foliage and branches will begin to grow rapidly in the culture. When a suitable flower bed is found, they begin to prepare the garden. It is thoroughly loosened. Level with a rake, removing dry grass and roots of dead plants. Make holes.
Loamy and sandy soils are not suitable for planting forget-me-nots.
Seed preparation and cultivation techniques
The seed quality is checked in a classical way. Pour 200 ml of pure water into a small container. Add 3 teaspoons of salt. Pour about 5 g of seeds and mix thoroughly. Instances that have surfaced are carefully removed and discarded. For planting, seeds that have settled to the bottom are used.
The scheme for growing forget-me-nots in a forest clearing consists of the following procedure:
- in the fall, seeds are planted in containers or disposable cups filled with nutrient soil;
- watered as the topsoil dries up;
- about 14 days wait for the appearance of greenery.
When 4 pairs of leaf plates are formed, the flowers gently dive into new containers. The distance between the seedlings is about 4 cm. The containers are taken to a cool room, where the temperature is maintained at no higher than 10 ° C. In early spring, the grown bushes are again distributed in separate cups. Then they are transferred to a warm room with a temperature of at least 18-20 ° C. In May, flowers are planted in a flower bed.
First, holes are made on the site at a distance of 20 cm from each other. When creating mixed flower beds, the interval is increased to 40 cm. A drainage consisting of pebbles or expanded clay is placed on the bottom. Carefully remove the seedlings, keeping a lump of earth, and place them in the center of the hole. The resulting voids are filled with soil, after which they are abundantly moistened.
The perennial culture of the forest forget-me-not is propagated using cuttings in the classical way.
Care Tips
As you know, forest forget-me-nots bloom profusely only with a sufficient level of humidity. Therefore, since the beginning of the season, he has been closely monitored. In early spring, a lot of melt water remains in the soil, and it also rains periodically. Considering these factors, flowers are watered only as the soil surface dries.
Many people believe that forget-me-nots do not need feeding. However, hybrid varieties respond well to some of them. Experts use substances that contain potassium and phosphorus... They are brought in at the beginning of the flowering season. Wintering bushes are re-fed at the end of summer.
It is advisable to carefully cut the dried forget-me-not buds to keep the flower bed in perfect condition.
Formation of flower arrangements
Using forget-me-nots in landscape design, experts plant them in groups. Often, higher cultures become the background for them.
In the spring they fit wonderfully into the company:
- narcissists;
- tulips;
- lilies of the valley;
- irises.
Forget-me-nots are "friends" with ferns, hosts and volzhanki, who also love thick shade. To decorate artificial reservoirs, flowers are planted as carpet plantings. In alpine slides and rockeries, forget-me-nots take their rightful place. In the summer, viola, calendula and marigolds can become their neighbors. Thanks to such a fantasy, flower beds saturated with bright colors will delight the eye until the onset of cold weather.
As you can see, even a novice gardener can handle the cultivation of forget-me-nots. The main thing is to gradually apply expert advice in practice. Seedlings are grown first.Then they transfer it to an open flower bed and create a chic landscape design. Water as the soil dries up, taking into account natural precipitation. Let the sky-blue "eyes" appear on our summer cottage.