Nemophila

Family. Boraginaceae.

Origin. Oregon, California.

Description. Nemophila or American forget-me-nots are annual herbaceous plants with lodging stems; young stems are pubescent.

The leaves are opposite, very showy - deeply dissected into 5 - 9 lobes, green, sometimes have serrated edges. The leaf blades are glossy, covered with rather sparse, light, long pubescence. 

The flowers are black, blue, yellow or white, up to 4 cm in diameter, may have contrasting spots and stripes, with 5 rounded petals. The center of the flowers is often painted in a light - almost white tone. Sometimes the veins on the petals are highlighted in a darker shade. Flowering is very abundant.

After flowering, the plants form fruits - seed pods containing up to 20 small seeds. When ripe, the seed pods become dry and brown.

Height. 15 to 30 cm.

Planting and care

Growing in open ground

Nemophila can be planted in open ground either using seedlings or directly with seeds.

Seedlings are planted in May, when the threat of the last frost has passed. Before replanting, pots with American forget-me-nots are left outside for a couple of hours during the day and the hardening time is gradually increased over the course of a week, accustoming the flower to new living conditions.

If at night the air temperature threatens to drop below zero, then the flowers are covered with non-woven material at night.

The location should not be in the sun - ideally, the site should receive the rays of the morning or evening sun, while during the daytime the flower should remain in partial shade. 

Since nemophila shoots are quite tender, the flower should not be planted in areas where there are strong gusts of wind or close to garden paths.

A plot of land is prepared for planting - the soil is loosened and weeds are pulled out.

Planting holes are placed at a distance of 20 - 25 cm from each other - in this case, adult nemophila bushes will be able to form a continuous flower carpet. The depth and width of the planting holes should be slightly larger than the root ball of the flower.

Since the plant prefers substrates quite rich in nutrients, a little organic matter is first mixed into the soil or superphosphate granules are added to the soil. To deoxidize, the soil can be spilled with lime milk or crushed chalk can be mixed into the soil. 

Seedlings ready to be grown outside should reach a height of about 10 cm.

Transplantation of flowers is carried out by the transshipment method - the plants are taken out of the transport pots together with the lump of earth and placed in the center of the hole without destroying this lump. After planting, they are watered with warm water, and the leaves are sprayed with solutions of growth hormones.

Growing seedlings in peat pots promotes better adaptation of the flower after transplantation, because it is planted in open ground directly along with the pot.

Sowing of seeds is carried out in April or autumn. When sowing in autumn, it is worth keeping the timing so that small shoots do not have time to appear before the onset of frost. In regions with harsh winters and weak snow cover, the seeds may freeze. 

Sowing is carried out in shallow furrows - covering them with a layer of soil no more than 5 mm.

As seedlings appear, they are thinned out, leaving only the strongest specimens.

Plants grown from seeds will bloom at a later date - around the end of June. By planting several seeds at intervals of 2 weeks, you can regulate the onset of flowering at different times.

Further care of the planted bushes comes down to timely watering, regular fertilizing and weeding. From time to time it is also worth loosening the surface of the soil near the flower.

The bases of planted plants can be covered with a small layer of mulch - it will prevent water from evaporating too quickly after watering from the soil surface.

In mid-autumn, before the snow falls, nemophila bushes are dug up and sent to compost, and the ground is dug up. 

Reproduction, growing from seeds 

Seeds are sown in spring. For the formation of seedlings, the most suitable planting time will be mid-March. Since at this time the plants often do not have enough sunlight, the seedlings are artificially illuminated.

When grown in open ground, self-seeding can often be found under the plants.

For propagation, you can use seeds collected with your own hands, but the plants obtained from them may not correspond to the varietal characteristics of the parents. 

1. Seed collection is carried out in dry weather, separating only fully ripened seed pods from the bushes.
2. After collection, the seeds are separated from the fruit and dried in a warm place with good air circulation. After 5 - 7 days of drying, the planting material will be ready for use.
3. Planting material retains its viability for a long time - it decreases only 3 years after collection.
4. Until spring, the seeds are stored in a cool, dry place with a temperature of 15 - 16 °C.
5. For sowing, prepare plastic containers with drainage holes in the bottom and a lid.
6. The first layer is a small expanded clay 1 - 2 cm high. This drainage will allow moisture to drain faster into the pan.
7. Fill the container with loose substrate with a high organic content.
8. From above, the soil is moistened with a spray bottle with water at room temperature.
9. Since the seeds are quite small, in order to distribute them evenly over the surface of the earth, you can mix the planting material with the same amount of river sand or pick up the seeds using the moistened tip of a toothpick.
10. The seeds are covered on top with a thin layer of soil about 5 mm thick. Strong deepening will reduce germination, since it will be difficult for small sprouts to break through the thickness of the earth.
11. To create a greenhouse effect, the crops are covered with a lid. Every day, the seedlings are ventilated and water condensation is removed from the plastic.
12. Plants are placed in shade from direct rays, but in a well-lit place.
13. With the appearance of the first sprouts, it is worthwhile to carry out lower watering, since water lingering on the surface of the pubescent leaves can cause rot.
14. The crops are thinned out, removing weak shoots and leaving strong bushes. 

At temperatures above 15° C, seedlings appear within 1 - 3 weeks. The flower does not like intense heat - when the air temperature rises above 20 ° C, the sprouts may linger in the ground.

With the appearance of the first shoots, the cover is removed completely.

Diving into separate small cups is done when each young bush can boast 2 - 3 leaf blades. When picking, they try to minimally disturb the root system, moving the bushes along with a lump of earth. You should not delay the dive - with age, the flower will tolerate replanting worse and worse.

After diving, 7 to 10 days later, the flowers are watered with a very weak solution of nitrogen fertilizers.

The first buds of plants grown from seeds will appear 7 weeks after sowing. 

Flowering time of nemophila

When grown in open ground, nemophila will bloom from  mid-summer until the first frost. The flowering period is very long.

Often the buds are formed in such large numbers that they can completely hide the leaves of the plants.

If, after the massive wilting of the buds, you cut off the shoots of nemophila, then you can expect a second wave of flowering, although it will be less abundant.

Conditions - temperature

It likes moderately warm conditions at a temperature of about 18 - 20° C. Too warm conditions cause a reduction in flowering time, and fewer buds are formed than in cool conditions. In extreme heat, the plant may die. 

Lighting

Shade the nemophila from direct sunlight in spring and summer, during the daytime. The plant will happily receive direct sun in the morning and evening, but can also grow in partial shade.

With a lack of light, flowering will be less abundant. 

The most suitable for flowers grown at home will be the window sills of eastern and western windows. When placed on the south side, the flower is deepened into the room or shaded from the sun with a light curtain. In the north, the flower should be provided with artificial lighting.

To illuminate plants, you can use LED or fluorescent lamps. With the help of artificial lighting, the duration of daylight hours is increased by turning on light bulbs in the morning and evening. At night, the lights are turned off, allowing the plants to rest. 

The pot with the flower is turned a quarter turn every week so that the bush does not become one-sided, stretching towards the light source. 

How to care

Remove faded flowers to prolong the flowering period and encourage nemophila bushes to form new buds. If flowers are not removed, all the energy of the bush will go into the formation of seeds. After flowering, shorten the shoots by a third or even half the length - flowers may appear again on new young growth.

Soil

Provide nemophila with loose, slightly alkaline or close to neutral, organic-rich soil with good drainage. 

The mixture for maintaining a flower can be made up of components such as peat, leaf and turf humus.

To increase moisture permeability, coarse river sand or perlite and vermiculite are mixed into the soil.

The soil must not only be well-drained, but also must allow the root system of the flower to breathe.

Fertilizer

During the growing season, nemophila is fed with liquid complex fertilizers for flowering plants every 2 weeks.

To develop seedlings, you can use fertilizers rich in nitrogen - they will increase the green mass. To form buds, it is better to switch to fertilizers with a high content of potassium and phosphorus - this will allow you to get a larger number of flowers. 

The flower reacts positively to both mineral and organic fertilizers.

Well-rotted cow or horse manure or humus can be used as organic matter. Fresh organic matter can burn the root system.

When applying mineral fertilizers, you should also be careful - feed the flower after watering, adding fertilizer to the moist substrate. Too concentrated a chemical solution in dry soil can cause root burns. 

Spraying 

There are no special requirements; nemophila tolerates dry air well and does not need spraying. Drops of moisture falling on buds and flowers provoke the appearance of brown spots on them and sharply reduce their attractiveness.

With the onset of hot weather, you can place any open, wide container with water or a decorative fountain next to the flower.

A tray filled with wet pebbles or expanded clay will also help to increase air humidity. The water level in the pan should always remain below the bottom of the pot. 

When keeping the nemophila in the house, it is worth placing it in a well-ventilated area with good air circulation. 

Watering

After planting, the frequency of watering is increased gradually as the green mass develops.

The soil should be evenly moist as the plant develops and blooms. The onset of drought during the budding period threatens the end of flowering.

Between watering in spring and summer, the top layer of soil can be dried to a depth of 1 - 2 cm. 

Do not allow water to stagnate - excess water that appears in the pan after watering is drained after a few minutes. 

For irrigation use settled water at room temperature.

Water the plants at the roots, making sure that droplets of water do not fall on the flowers and buds. Also, water on leaf blades can cause sunburn, because when exposed to the sun it will act like a lens.

Transfer

Adult nemophilas do not need replanting, as they are grown as annual plants.

As they grow, young bushes are transplanted into slightly larger cups.

It is better to carry out transshipment, since nemophila does not like damage to the root system. As soon as the buds begin to appear, it is better not to touch the flower.

If you plan to place the nemophila in a sufficiently lit place, then it is better to choose a clay or plastic pot, painted in a light shade. Dark pots will heat up from the sun's rays, and plants do not like overheating of their roots. 

1. For growing, select pots with sufficiently large drainage holes.
2. A drainage layer is placed at the bottom of the pots, which may consist of broken bricks, fragments of clay pots, expanded clay or small pieces of polystyrene foam.
3. The pot is filled with fresh soil and a hole is made in it for the root ball.
4. The flower is placed in a new pot and sprinkled with fresh substrate around the edges.
5. The surface of the soil is lightly tamped with your fingertips so that no air pockets remain in the ground. After replanting, the soil should be 1 - 2 cm below the walls of the pot.
6. Plants are watered and placed in a shaded place from direct sun for 5 - 7 days.

After transplantation, after 2 - 3 weeks, the plants are fed with mineral or organic fertilizers.

Pests and diseases

• Powdery mildew occurs when the contents are too crowded in cool conditions with high air humidity and insufficient air movement.
• When moisture stagnates, rot appears at the roots.
• The color of flowers when grown in the shade will be less bright, and with a lack of light, the number of buds decreases.
• Watering with cold water will cause the flower to rot.
• Lack of light can make plants look loose and elongated.
• Gray rot. 

Among the harmful insects that can settle on plants are spider mites, whiteflies, slugs and snails, and aphids.

Purpose

Looks great when grown in hanging baskets - pots, when grown as hanging plants, when long stems cascade over the edge of the pot.

 Nemophila is grown in flower beds and garden beds as a low flowering border.

At the foot of large trees, nemophila can be grown as a ground cover plant.

The flower is often used for landscaping loggias and balconies.

Note

Outdoors, nemophila is usually grown as an attractive annual flowering plant.

Varieties:

Nemophila menziesii

A bright, blue nemophila, which is a herbaceous plant from 15 to 30 cm in height. Nemophila has thin, offensively branched stems at the base, on which are palmately dissected, green leaves, covered with slight pubescence. The leaves reach 5 cm in length. The flowers are bright, blue, with five rounded petals, often with a white tint in the center. The flowering period begins in May - June, the flowers very offensively cover the plant, often hiding the leaves underneath. 

Nemophila maculata

Attractive, flowering, annual herbaceous plants from 15 to 30 cm in height. The stems are thin, flexible, covered with long pubescence. The leaves are green, also covered with a small fluff, pinnate, arranged in opposite pairs. The flowers are cup-shaped, with five oblong petals, reaching a diameter of 4 cm. A distinctive feature of this species is the color of the flowers - the white petals have small dark blue spots on the edges.