MYOSOTIS

Forget-me-not. Perennials, hardy and half-hardy



AT one time an impression prevailed that all the varieties of Myosotis

were semi-aquatic, and could only be grown satisfactorily in very damp

shady places. And it is quite true that most of them bloom for a longer

period in a moist than in a dry soil. Still, they all flower freely, and

last a considerable time in any garden border.



The only half-hardy variety that need be referred to is Sutton's Pot

Myosotis, which is a delightful subject for flowering indoors at

Christmas time; and as Forget-me-nots are everywhere welcome, the

practice of growing plants in pots is rapidly increasing. Seed should be

sown in a cold frame in June, and the seedlings can be potted on as

required, taking care from the commencement to avoid crowding as a

precaution against mildew, to which the plants are very liable. The

strain referred to produces fine free-growing specimen plants, and a

batch should always be in reserve for cutting. For table decoration in

winter Forget-me-nots are very telling.



All the hardy varieties may be sown from May to July for a brilliant

display in the following spring. The seed should be put into a prepared

seed-bed under the shelter of a wall or hedge; and in autumn the plants

must be transferred to blooming quarters at the earliest opportunity.



Myosotis make an extremely effective groundwork for spring bulbs, for

which purpose M. dissitiflora is the most valuable.





NASTURTIUM--see TROPAEOLUM