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Saturday - March 04, 2006

From: Dallas, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Wildflowers
Title: Possible locations of fields of Forget-Me-Nots, Myosotis
Answered by: Nan Hampton and Dean Garrett

QUESTION:

This might be kind of a weird question but me and my girlfriend have a really special thing with the forget me not wild flowers, and I will be asking her to marry me soon and would love to do it in a field of forget me nots. I would like to know if you knew of such a place here in the U.S. and what would be the season? Thank you so much.

ANSWER:

Not a weird question at all. Forget-me-nots, genus Myosotis, are delicately beautiful wildflowers, the subject of romantic legend in Europe. A few of the more ornamental European species have been introduced into the US and those are the ones that are sometimes planted in masses for displays in botanic gardens. With a brief internet search, I was able to find evidence of large plantings of Europe's Woodland Forget-me-not, Myosotis sylvatica, in Pennsylvania at Longwood Gardens and in Vermont at the American Meadows/Vermont Wildflower Farm. That species blooms from April to June in the northeast.

If the far northwest sounds more romantic to you, Mountain Forget-me-not, Myosotis alpestris, a North American native, is the state flower of Alaska, where it blooms from April to September. The species grows wild as far south as Oregon. The Alaska Native Plant Society or the Alaska Botanical Gardens may be able to help you locate picturesque stands.

The mission of the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center is to promote native plants, and I have to tell you that there are two species of forget-me-nots native to north Texas, where you live: Spring Forget-me-not, Myosotis verna, and Large-Seed Forget-me-not, Myosotis macrosperma. They bloom from March to May. They are very diminutive little things, easy to overlook, but your girlfriend might be very impressed that you were dedicated enough to seek them out. Good luck.

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Saturday - March 04, 2006

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