Chinese Forget Me Not: Cynoglossum Amabile. This is a tiny blue flower that is a fabulous addition to any garden. What a better way to spark the spot with a satisfaction guarantee. It can grow in any sunny area. Makes for beautiful and gorgeous cut flowers.
Cynoglossum Amabile Plant profile
Chinese Forget Me Not refers to the plants of the genus Myosotis that comes under the family Boraginaceae. About 50 species are known within this genus.
Myosotis word is originated from the Greek meaning a mouse’s ear. The name was given because of the shape of the small leaves.
The biennial variety, flowering stop and set seed at the start of summer months. Seedlings show up in fall and bloom on the following spring.
The perennial plants varieties do not put on as impressive flower show as their biennial cousins. However, they tend to flower for a longer season, usually starting from spring through summer.
Myosotis Alpestris or Alpine Forget Me Not is the most popular and the most preferable to the perennial. This plant is mini, growing only to 9 inches. The flowers are pink, blue or white colors.
While the flowers of perennial Myosotis Palustris are blue with yellow, pink or white center colors. The plant has narrow leaves and grows taller than the biennial variety.
The only similarity that can be seen is that most of the species have flat blue flowers. The blue flowers have five petals growing thickly on stems.
The foliage is deer resistant. The pretty blue flower is considered an edible flower and loving plants.
This species origin is China and Bhutan. A big number of these species are native to New Zealand.
USDA planting zone and hardiness zone: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. Suitable US regions: California, mountain region, desert, Texas, Midwest, Northern, native Northeast, and Southeast.
The garden plant attracts butterflies and hummingbirds but the plant is bee friendly can be good for ground cover too. Native plants for a flower garden and great for fragrant flowering.
The plant uses including beds, borders, rock gardens, cottage gardens, meadows and wildflower areas. It can be apart of southeast wildflowers, northeast wildflowers, and midwest wildflowers (wildflower mixture) but not pacific northwest.
Common names
The plant’s scientific name is Cynoglossum Amabile. Other common names are Chinese Hound’s Tongue and Chinese Forget Me Not. Chinese Hound’s Tongue is derived from the coarse leaves being look-alike to a dog’s tongue.
Flowers
In humid and hot summer climates, plants may decline by late summer and not bloom into fall. The bloom season is in spring and summer. While the bloom color is blue only.
Light requirement
This plant thrives well in the full sun. Cynoglossum Amabile plants tend to choose light afternoon shade in the hot summer months. The plant also likes to be in half shade or full shade area. If you experience full sun exposure in the summer months, you can add sunshade to the area.
Soil
To plant this plant, it requires well-drained soil to receive enough water and moisture. You have to use soil test kits to check if the soil pH is between 6.0 to 7.0.
A pH range of 6.0 to 7.0 actively encourages the availability of plant nutrients. If after you check the soil is below 6.0, it is acidic soil. And if it is above 7.0 the soil is too alkaline.
The best way to raise the pH of the soil is to add limestone to the soil. It neutralizer the acid and consists of either calcium and magnesium carbonate or calcium carbonate. You can use dolomitic limestone and calcitic limestone respectively to fix the acidic soil.
The best way to lower alkalinity in the soil is by applying granulated elemental sulfur. Apply evenly at the beginning of the growing season. The rate should be at a rate of 10 pounds per 1,000 square feet.
Lower the rate by 33 percent for sandy alkaline soils. Mild sulfuric acid will balance the alkalinity in soil by combining elemental sulfur with rainwater and soil moisture. After applying, you should retest the soil, and treat it again if needed.
Soil preparation should be done by mixing the soil with decomposed organic material or compost (preplanned garden). The plant grows well in such soil.
The plant can use sandy soil, loamy soil, and wet soil. The plant tolerates average to poor soils but you must avoid heavy clay soils.
Planting guides
The best time to plant
The garden plant is very attractive and beautiful flowers. They are very hardy plants that decline in warm winter (December to March), and re-sprout in spring (March to June). This easy to grow annual flowers blooms just weeks after planting.
After one year, it will flower next spring. If this is the first time planting Chinese Forget Me Not, seeding them is rather easy. The best time to plant seeds is in spring (March to August) if you want to have blooms the following spring season.
Early in March seeded, plants may produce flowers by early fall (Early September). Sow the seeds in fall and the plants will bloom a year from the next spring.
The best location to plant Chinese Forget Me Not
For a foolproof planting, site selection and soil improvement will get you there. A well-worked soil will produce the fastest and healthiest plants.
For the best result, the planting must be with soil with great drainage, and soil with plenty of organic matter. Site location must be at a partial shade or at the least exposure from the sunlight of the day.
You may use a sunshade to protect the new seed. Because of its shade loving feature.
If you plant indoors, sow the seeds 3 weeks before the last expected cold winter. If you do, you will expect earlier blooms.
Plant the seeds over the soil in early spring at the time when soil is workable. The germination will take between 8 to 14 days if the soil is kept moist.
One important thing is to plant at least 10 inches apart because the plant does not like crowded scenes. Acclimation of the sown plant outdoors is needed over the course of a few days.
Amount of seed
The amount of seed you should plant should be determined by the type of plant. For 1/4 pounds of seed should cover from 250 – 500 square feet.
If you have a larger garden (more than 1/2 acre), the planting rate may be affected by land conditions. If heavy weeds are in sight, erosion, poor soil, add more seed than recommended. For full coverage, use 1 pound per 1000 square feet.
How to plant seeds
Step 1
Choose a spot that gets at least 6 hours of sunlight in one day. The more sun this seed gets, the better the result.
Step 2
Make the soil ready to use by clearing the area of all existing growth. This is a very important step to the success of your Chinese Forget Me Not planting.
Clear or remove everything that is currently growing. Turn the soil over a few times and scrape debris away from the area before spreading any seed.
You should till the area if you notice an excess of grass, weeds, unwanted plants on your property. Grasses like rye grass, grama grass, buffalo grass, swiss chard or ornamental grass must be removed.
Step 3
Blend Chinese Forget Me Not with sand for better visibility with ratio 10:1 (10 sand and 1 seed). For a larger area, use a seed spreader like a hand seed spreader or ATV seed spreader. For a smaller area, you can spread by hand.
Step 4
The following task after spreading the seed is to compress the seed into the soil. Do not cover the seed to receive full sunlight. The seed must have form contact with the soil for better germination. You can use a garden roller for larger plantings.
Step 5
Water well the area of seeding with good water. It is recommended to water regularly until seedlings are about 4″ to 6″ tall. After that, the plant can rely only on natural rains.
Step 6
The plants will bloom as soon as 5 weeks after seed planting. The perennial varieties do not bloom until the second year of seed planting. Once established, perennial varieties come back year after year.
There are available herb seed, organic seed, wildflower seeds mix, flower seed, vine seed of the Chinese Forgetmenot.
Care
Watering
You should water your freshly sown Chinese Forget Me Not twice a week. Water more regularly on hot weather.
Gentle watering the flowers on a watering can. Gentle spray attachment to a hose. Avoid washing seeds away. When grown in containers, the plant needs regular watering throughout their lives.
Fertilizer
The best fertilizer for Chinese Forget Me Not is slow-releasing balanced all-purpose granular fertilizer. Apply this fertilizer at least once per season.
The best time to fertilize is in early spring. Read the instruction label carefully and do not over-fertilize.
Pruning
Step 1
Cut off with sharp scissors spent blossoms to stimulate the development of the plant to produce more blooms. Cut flower stems back to the branch, not to cut into the branch.
Step 2
Snip off the whole branches, including flowers, if they are going to be used as cut flowers indoors.
Step 3
Shape the bush by pruning and retain it tidy. Forming the plant like a ball shape or a globe shape makes it attractive and makes the plant easier to produce more flowering tips.
Step 4
Cut the plant back to the ground in late fall or early winter. This plant may behave like a perennial and will provide new growth from the root system the following spring.
Problems with pest and diseases
The plant is not prone to diseases and insects. In a few cases, aphids are affecting new foliage growth. Get rid of aphids by hand by spraying soapy water. You can also remove them by hand and knock them into a bucket of soapy water.
Mix 1/2 tablespoon of liquid dish soap, 1 quart of water, and 1 tablespoon of neem oil. Place them in a spray bottle. Shake well and spray the diluted solution generously on all leaf surfaces with aphids.
Growing in pots or containers
Sun exposure is a key factor in growing the plant and cultivating them in containers or pots. In cool weather, midday shade is adequate. Still, the flowering plant is easy to grow.
Part shade all day is best in warmer climates. The plant handles full sun exposure better when grown in wet or very moist soil.
The best choice is plastic pots. They are lighter and lose moisture less quickly compared to ceramic or clay pots. It works great for moisture-loving plants such as Chinese Forget Me Not.
The mature height of the plant is between 6 to 12 inches. The spreads are between 6 to 8 inches.
A 12 to an 18-inch pot with 2 or more drainage holes around the base will give the right amount of space. You can plant two plants in a 24 to a 36-inch pot.
Use moderate soil fertility to perform well. Mix 2 potting soil, 1 compost, and 1 coarse sand to improve the drainage. This will also improve the nutrients content of the soil.
Place the plant within 2 inches of the top of the pot. Don’t pack down firmly soil too much. Avoid using potting soil mix with fertilizer. Rich soil encourages legginess and poor blooming.
