Forget-me-not is a flowering genus of plants with the scientific name Myosotis (Greek: “mouse-ear”). The scientific name of the genus in the family Boraginaceae means “mouse ear” in Greek, referring to the shape of the flower’s leaves. The origin of the name Forget Me Not, which is its common name, is that the flower is commonly referred to in French as ne m’oubliez pas (German: “Don’t forget me”). Similar names have been given to the flower in many other languages.
Some colors are especially seen in cultivated forms growing in gardens. Aside from blue, the common Forget-Me-Not colors are white and pink.
The genus, which includes about fifty species, is very diverse. Most species flower small (about 1 cm or less in diameter) with 5 flat blue petals. Color variation is often observed in the flowers that bloom in spring. In addition to the usual blue color, white and pink colors are often seen. This shade-promoting plant is common in gardens, and cultivated ones often bloom in multiple colors. Whether perennial, annual or biennial, forget-me-not forms a 7 to 12 cm long clump of variable, oval, elliptical or lanceolate, gray-green, short soft-haired, rough leaves. The leaves are permanent. In spring from March to June, small flowers (0.3 to 1 cm) bloom in flattened containers in compact bells combining blue or white and yellow eyes. It is a hardy plant with very good frost resistance.
It is a dwarf and dense plant. Planting should be done when there is no risk of freezing. You can sow the seeds from May to June. Germination needs sun to be healthy.
Make sure that the seeds you sow in September spend the winter indoors. You can also plant outside in the spring. When you plant, make sure the soil depth is six inches.
Many varieties of the race, spread over a fairly wide area, are specific to New Zealand, while several European species are available. Some species of the flower, particularly Myosotis sylvatica, have been introduced to temperate regions in Europe, Asia, and the Americas, where they can be seen. In the United States, Myosotis alpestris is the official flower of the state of Alaska.
There are many different legends about the flower, and most legends explain the flower’s name in some way. For example, according to one German legend, God calls the flower a “Remember or Vergissmeinnicht.” In another legend, Adam and Eve cry out to the flowers as they leave paradise, “Remember me!” According to another German legend, a knight and his beloved, walking along the Danube, see a blue flower about to be washed away by the river. The flower, which is included in many other legends, has also found an important place in literature. The flower, mentioned in several stories by the Brothers Grimm, was also mentioned in many poems and praised by many literary figures; for example, Goethe called this flower “the liveliest flower, the most elegant of the graceful”.
Henry IV also made this flower his emblem during his exile in 1398, and continued to use it as an emblem after his return to England the following year.
In many romantic poems we find forget-me-nots or love grass. Remember, I have been an emblem of Freemasonry since 1948. It has also become the symbol of the Alzheimer’s Association and evokes memory loss. For the same reason, it was chosen to symbolize the International Day of Missing Children, which takes place every May 25.