Forget-us-not! (Plant Select is true and blue)…

Who doesn’t love blue in flowers? Do our gardens ever have enough blue? Well…Plant Select is launching an outstanding perennial that has been thriving at Denver Botanic Gardens for over a decade. Cape forget-me-not (Anchusa capensis) is an amazing perennial that you can find growing in the Romantic Gardens, throughout South African Plaza and elsewhere at the Gardens, creating fabulous carpets of cobalt blue for much of the growing season.

Cape forget-me-not (Anchusa capensis) entire plant view

Here you can see the plants make stalwart clumps up to a foot across of attractive, dark green foliage. The spikes of flowers can rise up to 18″ tall (or occasionally a tad more), with constant sprays of deep blue, white eyed flowers from late spring through the summer months (if you remember to occasionally deadhead them, that is).

This plant occurs throughout much of South Africa. The source of germplasm for the Plant Select plants is obviously very cold tolerant. It is a short lived perennial at the Gardens, but produces abundant seed and self sows modestly to perpetuate and even spread about. Although unquestionably enthusiastic in the right garden setting (better than average soil and moisture is necessary for it to prosper), it is easy to move or remove, and will not persist in dry gardens. No need to worry about its peskiness!

Cape forget-me-not makes a sea of color in South African Plaza around Kniphofia

How could could you have enough of anything this true and blue? See what a wonderful foil it makes for the red hot pokers in our South African Plaza. It looks wonderful with reds, pinks, yellows: you name it. This is a wonderful filler for your perennial border, or edge of a woodland garden. One thing’s for certain–grow this a while, and you shall forget-us-not!

Do check out this year’s wonderful lineup of Plant Select plants. There is a headliner in that lineup I will be addressing in an upcoming blog…so you can get a tantalizing peek at the perfect foil for our forget-me-not!