Forget-me-not Blue

Is there any flower more nostalgic than the Forget-me-not? Forget-me-not Blue creates a low, frothy carpet of the most intense, clear blue — a colour so rare in nature that it shines out from shady corners like scattered jewels, each tiny flower with a bright yellow eye that acts as a beacon for early-waking bees.

The essential under-storey plant of the spring garden. It fills the bare earth beneath roses and shrubs before they leaf out, creates a blue haze that ties the whole cottage garden together, and self-seeds gently year after year once established.

• Myosotis sylvatica — Hardy Biennial (H5)
• Height: 20–30cm | Flowers: April–June (Year 2)
• Sow outdoors May–July; flowers the following spring
• Partial shade to full sun; moist, well-drained soil
• Self-seeds freely — naturalises beautifully over time
• Vital early nectar source for solitary bees and queen bumblebees

Plant it under tulips and let it do what it has always done — make everything around it look more beautiful.