TheGardenLady received this question from Sherrie about Bleeding Hearts and Forget-me-nots.
I was wondering can you plant these together? If you can plant them together what time of year do we need to plant them me? And my husband lost a baby and we want to plant flowers for the child.
TheGardenLady has begun answering this question in the last post. In this post, she will give the rest of her answer to Sherrie’s question.
The genus for Forget-me-nots is Myosotis. As far as TheGardenLady knows, the ones you are thinking of bloom in the spring (see here).
The wood Forget- me- not – Myosotis sylvatica seems to be the Forget-me-not most people think of when hearing the common name. (However, if your memorial is being placed near water, there is what is called a True Forget-me-not or Water Forget-me- not Latin Myosotis scorpioides.)
Myosotis flowers are various shades of blue as well as white and pink. (see here)
There are some plants that have golden leaves; if you get a golden leafed variety, pull off any green leaves that emerge to keep only the yellow leaves.
Forget-me-nots are biennials or short lived perennials and self seed. (see here)
Forget-me-nots thrive in cool, moist weather in sun or partial shade. Seeds are generally sown in the spring unless you live in Zones 8, 9, and 10 where seeds can be sown in the fall and plants will bloom in the spring. When planting in the spring, plant as soon as the soil can be worked. After flowering, the leaves disappear.
There is another plant called a Perennial Forget me -not or Siberian Bugloss with the Latin name Brunnera macrophylla. These plants have flowers that look like the Myosotis sylvatica Forget-me-not flower and they also bloom in the spring. But since Brunnera are a hardy perennial, the leaf remains all summer long and is interesting in the garden- it comes in both a dark green leaf (see here) or a variegated leaf. This plant likes partial shade unless you live in a cool climate. People generally buy this as a plant and plant it in the spring.
If you want to extend the growing period of the Forget-me-not there is a Chinese Forget-me-not Cynoglossum amabile. Some seed packets will contain a mixture of both Myosotis sylvatica and Cynoglossum amabile so that you will have the longer blooming period. (see here)
I read that the Chinese Forget-me-not comes in short and tall varieties. Chinese Forget-me-nots are also biennials that self seed. They need sun.
I hope this post helps you with your Baby’s Memorial Garden. And I hope I have given you some ideas to extend the flowering time in the Memorial garden with different varieties of the two flowers you want to plant.
Remember, in general, if you buy seeds to plant, the back of the package will tell you the best time to plant the seeds in your garden. If you buy plants in your local nursery, the nursery will sell plants at the best time to plant them in your area. And if you buy plants shipped through the mail, ask the nursery to ship them at the best time to plant in your area. Most reputable mail order nurseries send the plants to you only when it is the right time to plant in your area.
TheGardenLady would love to see photos of your Memorial Garden with the names and varieties of plants you chose to plant. Having just Bleeding Hearts and Forget-me-nots sounds like a creatively, unique garden.