Forget Me Not

Forget-me-not refers to the plants of the genus Myosotis. This genus comes under the family Boraginaceae. There are roughly 50 species within this genus. There exists variation within the genus. However, one similarity that can be noticed is that most of the members of this species have flat blue flowers with five petals growing thickly on stems. They grow in a slightly disorderly fashion.

A legend about the origin of the name forget-me-not is as follows. Once a medieval knight and his lady-love were walking beside a river. The knight held a bouquet in his hands. Because of the weight of the armor, he fell into the water. According to the legend, he threw the bouquet at her shouting forget-me-not. There is a Christian religious legend according to which the child Jesus Christ created forget-me-nots so that the generations to come would be able to see him and his mother Mary, on whose lap he was sitting.

Scientific Classification

Kingdom

Plantae

Division

Magnoliophyta

Class

Magnoliopsida

Order

not currently assigned (incertae sedis)

Family

Boraginaceae

Genus

Myosotis

Facts about forget-me-not

• Forget-me-nots flower in spring.
• A large number of species that come under the forget-me-not category are native to New Zealand.
• A few European Species were introduced in the temperate regions of America, Asia, and Europe.
• Forget-me-not is the state flower of the American state of Alaska.
• Forget me not plants can be annual, in the sense that their life last for one year or it can be perennial, in the sense that their life – namely, germination, flowering, and death take more than two years.

How to Grow Forget-Me-Not

• Plant the seeds in early spring. The ground should be made ready for the forget me not seeds to be planted.
• The preparation should be done by mixing the soil with decomposed organic material (compost) because the plants grow best in such soil.
• While planting seedlings, you do not have to be particularly careful about maintaining some distance between them because forget me nots grow well even if there is a crowd.
• Trim the blooms that are wasted away in order to guard against reseeding.
• When plants begin to wear away in late summer, remove them.

Petunia

Botanical name: Petunia

Plant type: Flower

Sun exposure: Full Sun

Flower color: Red, Pink, Yellow, Purple, White

Bloom time: Spring, Summer, Fall

Petunias are one of the most popular type of annual. They are divided into two different groups: Grandiflora petunias have very large flowers and are best grown in containers or hanging baskets (because they are more susceptible to rain damage), and Multiflora petunias have smaller, but more abundant flowers and are ideal for summer bedding or in a mixed border (because they are more tolerant to wet weather).

Planting

• You can grow petunias from seeds, but it is easier to grow them from transplants. If you are going to grow from seeds, start them indoors 10 to 12 weeks before you want to set them outside. Petunia seeds are very small and needs lots of light in order to germinate. Remember to water them. When the plants have three leaves, you can plant them outside.
• It’s best to buy transplants and plant them in light, well-drained soil in full sun after the last spring frost. Petunias can grow in partial shade, but they will have fewer flowers. It’s better if the plants have shelter from the wind.
• Space the plants about 1 foot apart.
• If you’re planting petunias in containers, use a soil-less mix.

Care

• Petunias are tolerant of heat so you don’t have to water them regularly. A thorough watering once a week should be sufficient (unless there are prolonged periods of drought in your area). The spreading types and those in containers require more frequent watering though.
• Fertilize your plants monthly to ensure good growth. Double-flowered cultivars like a biweekly dose of fertilizer.
• Remove faded/dead flowers to prolong blooming.

Pests

• Aphids
• Caterpillars
• Leaf miners
• Gray mold
• Bacterial soft rot
• Leaf spots
• Viruses

Recommended Varieties

• Carpet Series, which is ideal for a ground cover and offers a wide variety of colors
• Sugar Daddy (Petunia Daddy Series), which sports purple flowers with dark veins.
• Rose Star (Petunia Ultra Series), whose flowers look striped because of its rose-pink flowers with a white cenBotanical name: Petunia

  Plant type: Flower

  Sun exposure: Full Sun

  Flower color: Red, Pink, Yellow, Purple, White

  Bloom time: Spring, Summer, Fall

  

Calendula

Calendula officinalis
Cultivar

Calendula (common name: pot marigold) is a genus of plants that belong to the family Asteraceae. There are about 20 species of plants that come under the genus Calendula. Calendula is herbaceous, in the sense that the leaves and the stem above the level of the soil die at the end of the growing season.

Some species of calendula die in one year (annual). Some other species live more than two years (perennial). The genus is native to the region stretching eastward from Macaronesia (a group of islands in the North Atlantic around the Europe-North Africa region) to Iran, with the whole Mediterranean region in between.

Its common name marigold is likely to owe its origin to the Virgin Mary. Gardening connoisseurs consider the marigold to be one of the best flowers that can be grown in a garden because they are rugged and not at all finicky about where they grow. However, the ideal location for their growth is a sunny place with a soil rich in substances favorable to plant growth and that is well-drained.

Scientific classification

Kingdom

Plantae

Division

Magnoliophyta

Class

Magnoliopsida

Order

Asterales

Family

Asteraceae

Tribe

Calenduleae

Genus

Calendula

Facts about Calendula

• Calendula (marigold) grows well in all seasons except in very coldest climates.
• Marigolds propagate by means of seeds.
• Different marigolds have different colors. African marigolds have a color different from the French marigolds.
• Pot marigolds are grown as herbs. Marigolds are thought to be edible and they are used to naturally color salads.
• Marigolds are eaten by certain species of insects and the flowers need to be protected if you are growing them.

Growing tips

• Sow seeds in spring. The seeds germinate easily in sunny and half-sunny locations.
• Maintain a distance of 10 inches between the seeds.
• The plants will begin flowering in June and will continue till late fall/ winter when the frost kills them.
• The seeds ripen in late summer and the scattering of seeds will result in a fresh brood of plants in the spring.

is widely used to treat skin problems, rashes – made into a cream or poultice, additional facts: Planet Botanic Calendula Facts

Calendula, easy to grow, self seeding, yellow to orange.

two yellow Calendula