Q.Planting Forget Me Nots
I received forget me not seeds after I lost my dog and we haven’t planted them because I’ve read they can become very invasive. We had the vision of spreading them in between greenery in the mulch bed in front of our new farmers porch. Will they creep under the porch and spread too much to overtake the other bushes and flowers? Should we plant in planters instead and place out front? We really want to display them because they are so pretty and will be a reminder of our friend we let go too soon. Can you give some assurance and advice? Thank you
Plants that spread invasively from roots or rhizomes should go in containers. Forget me nots spread via seed so putting them in a container doesn't "contain" them. My next door neighbor has them and I end up pulling a few plants every year. What you don't know is what type of forget-me-not you have seeds for. There are several varieties and some are banned while others are listed as invasive but not banned. I would plant a few seeds so you can determine the type you have. They are under the genus name Myosotis. There is common forget-me-not, field forget me not, bigleaf forget-me-not, scorpion grass (Myosotis scorpoides)-- you get the picture. If you search google images once you have flowers, you'll be able to tell which one you have. From there it is easy to find online information about whether the plant is invasive in your state. For instance, some plants that are invasive in in the south are not invasive where winter kills them. Often times the gardener can see that a plant shows invasive tendencies because it ends up all over their property. If forget-me-nots are showing signs of being a bad actor, it is very easy to pull them.
It is always best to plant invasive species in container to prevent them from spreading where you don't want them. It is very possible that they can over-take just about anything. Here is an article on their care: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/forget-me-nots/growing-forget-me-nots.htm
