Forget Me Not Seeds – Myosotis sylvatica

The most reliable window for sowing forget me not seeds is between late spring and midsummer, roughly May to July in temperate climates. This gives the young plants a full growing season to establish sturdy rosettes before winter arrives. Sowing too late in the season can result in weak seedlings that struggle through their first winter.

Myosotis sylvatica is technically a biennial, meaning individual plants flower in their second year and then die. However, because they are such prolific self-seeding flowers, a well-established patch will often appear to come back reliably each spring as new seedlings replace the previous generation. If you allow a few plants to set seed each year, you can maintain a continuous colony without replanting.

Germination time varies depending on soil temperature, moisture levels, and your local climate, so there is no single answer that applies to every garden. In general, you can expect to see seedlings emerge somewhere between one and four weeks after sowing, with cooler, consistently moist conditions often producing steadier results. If germination seems slow, check that the soil has not dried out, as Myosotis sylvatica seed is sensitive to moisture stress during this stage.

Forget me nots perform well in partial shade and are a popular shade garden flower for this reason, but dense full shade tends to produce leggy, weak plants that flower poorly. They do well under deciduous trees where they receive dappled light, or in spots with morning sun and afternoon shade. A little light really does make a difference to the quality and abundance of those blue spring flowers.

Myosotis sylvatica is generally considered to have low toxicity, but it can cause mild skin irritation in some people and animals if handled in quantity, and ingestion in large amounts may cause mild digestive upset in pets. If you have cats or dogs that graze on plants, it is sensible to monitor them and discourage eating garden plants as a general habit. For specific concerns about your pet, a conversation with your vet is always the most reliable route.

The key is timing: remove spent flower heads and pull plants out before the seeds have a chance to ripen and drop, which usually means acting in late spring to early summer after the main flush of bloom. You do not need to remove every plant, just be consistent about deadheading or disposing of plants before they shed seed. A layer of mulch can also help suppress any seeds that do fall.

Yes, forget me nots can be grown in containers, though they perform better in the ground where their roots have more room and moisture is easier to maintain. If you do use pots, choose a deep container with good drainage, use a peat-free compost mixed with a little grit, and water regularly since containers dry out much faster than garden beds. They make a lovely seasonal display combined with spring bulbs in a large pot, though you are unlikely to get the same self-seeding effect as in open ground.