Forget-Me-Nots (Myosotis) are highly sought-after spring garden plants. They are enthusiastic self-propagators, and the direct answer to whether they spread is yes. While this characteristic is desirable for naturalizing a landscape, it can lead to the plant dominating certain areas. The way a Forget-Me-Not spreads depends significantly on the specific species being grown.
Primary Mechanisms of Spread
The primary method of expansion for common garden varieties, such as Myosotis sylvatica (woodland forget-me-not), is prolific self-seeding. These are typically short-lived perennials or biennials that ensure their return by producing a large number of seeds. After the spring bloom, flowers develop into small, dark nutlets containing the seeds. These seeds drop near the parent plant, often germinating in late summer or fall to produce a new plant that flowers the following spring, creating a continuous, spreading colony.
Species like Myosotis scorpioides (water forget-me-not) employ a distinct, dual propagation strategy, relying on both seed production and vegetative expansion. This perennial sends out horizontal, creeping stems called stolons or rhizomes that travel just below the soil surface. New plants emerge from the nodes along these runners, allowing the plant to spread laterally and form dense, interconnected colonies.
Factors Influencing Colonization Speed
The rate at which Forget-Me-Nots colonize a space is heavily influenced by environmental conditions that boost seed germination or support vegetative growth. The most favorable conditions for rapid spread are consistently moist soil and partial shade, mimicking their natural habitat in woodlands and near water bodies. In these ideal settings, the germination success rate is high, leading to a dense carpet of seedlings each season.
Soil moisture is particularly important for running types, such as M. scorpioides, which thrives in wet areas, even growing in shallow standing water. In perpetually moist ground, the stolons can expand rapidly, sometimes spreading up to 60 centimeters per year. Conversely, in dry, compacted, or nutrient-poor soils, the plants’ spread is much slower, as both seed germination and root system development are inhibited.
The presence of other plants also plays a role in colonization speed through competitive pressure. Forget-Me-Nots often lack natural checks in introduced areas, enabling them to out-compete and crowd out less vigorous species. When planted in areas with low competition, such as bare soil, their self-seeding is often more aggressive, leading to a faster takeover.
Controlling Growth in Garden Settings
For gardeners who wish to enjoy the flowers without unchecked spread, the most effective method is interrupting the self-seeding cycle through deadheading. Removing the spent flower stalks immediately after the petals drop prevents the development and maturation of seeds inside the nutlets. Since common garden varieties rely on annual reseeding to persist, removing the flowers before seed set is a highly targeted control measure.
Managing running varieties, like the water forget-me-not, requires an approach that targets vegetative expansion. Mechanical removal is effective, but it is necessary to pull or hoe the plants while ensuring the entire root system, including any attached stolons, is completely removed. Any fragments of creeping stems left in the soil can resprout, leading to the plant’s reestablishment.
For Myosotis scorpioides, which is often grown near ponds or water features, a containment strategy can be implemented. Planting the Forget-Me-Nots in submerged containers, such as a one-gallon pot, limits the physical space available for the rhizomes to travel. This method allows the plant to be enjoyed in its preferred environment while restricting its ability to spread.