Forget-me-nots are tough little perennials that are among the first to pop up and say hello in the early spring. If you’re looking for a quick color fix, you can grab established plants at your local garden center around April. Just a heads-up: these nursery-grown beauties are a bit pampered, so try to keep them away from a hard frost. On the other hand, if your forget-me-nots self-seeded from last year or if you tucked some seeds into the soil yourself over the summer, they’re usually much hardier and handle winter like pros.
Forget-Me-Nots: A Hardy Garden Staple
Depending on the variety, forget-me-nots can be annuals or perennials. Most people treat the ones from the garden center as annuals—tossing them into pots or window boxes in the spring and then swapping them out for summer bloomers once the flowers fade. But if you’re playing the long game with perennials, you can grow them in beds or containers. Simply scatter your seeds in late summer or fall, keep the soil moist, and let nature do its thing. Once the seedlings sprout, you can thin them out or move them to their permanent homes. This gives them plenty of time to establish a strong root system before the ground freezes. While they’re pretty resilient, I always recommend a little “winter blanket” of dry leaves or garden fleece just to be safe. Just remember to uncover them as soon as you see the first signs of new growth in spring! Things get a little trickier, though, when you’re growing forget-me-nots in pots.
Caring for Potted Forget-Me-Nots
These charming early bloomers look fantastic in pots, balcony planters, or large containers. If you’re starting from seed, aim for mid-summer and thin them out if they start getting too crowded. Even though these plants develop sturdy roots, container soil freezes much faster than the ground. If the root ball freezes solid, your plants might not make it to spring. To keep them cozy, here are my favorite winter-proofing tips:
- Move your pots against a sheltered wall of the house to block the wind.
- Elevate the containers! Place them on a piece of Styrofoam or a wooden plank to insulate them from the cold ground.
- Wrap the pots in bubble wrap, several layers of garden fleece, or a burlap sack.
- Cover the plants themselves with dry leaves or evergreen branches.
- Don’t let them dry out completely. On dry, frost-free days, give them a little sip of water.
- If you’ve got the room, freshly planted forget-me-nots love spending the winter in a cold greenhouse or unheated sunroom.
