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Herbaceous Perennial

Myosotidium hortensia

Chatham Island forget-me-not

A perennial with large, somewhat fleshy, glossy emerald green leaves, to 30cm long, and terminal flowerheads of forget-me-not blue flowers, each 1.25cm across, pale round the edges with darker centres, held on stout stems, above or amongst the leaves in early summer, reaching 45cm in height

Other common names

Antarctic forget-me-not
Chatham Island lily

Synonyms

Myosotidium hortensia 'Chatham Island'
Myosotidium nobile

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Ultimate height

0.1–0.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

0.5–1 metres

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Acid, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Partial shade

Aspect

West–facing or East–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Boraginaceae
Native to the UK: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Matforming
Genus: Myosotidium is a monotypic genus in the borage family, Boraginaceae
Name status: Correct
Plant range: Chatham Islands

How to grow

Cultivation

Can be grown under glass in peat-free, loam-based compost in bright filtered light. Apply a balanced fertiliser based on seaweed, once a month in the growing season and water freely. Outside, grow in a gritty, moist, well-drained soil with a mulch of seaweed if possible. Light shade and shelter from drying winds are the ideal conditions

Propagation

Propagate by seed, under glass in autumn as soon as ripe. Can also be propagated by division in spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Coastal
Patio and container plants
Wall side borders

Pruning

Deadhead as flowers fade

Pests

Slugs can be a problem

Diseases

Generally disease-free

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