Ever heard of Boraginaceae? They are plants with alternately arranged leaves and they germinate in the dark. They have hairy leaves and if you have a sensitive skin, better stay away from them since some of them could cause skin irritations. Most Boraginaceae changes colors from their original colors which could be yellow, pink, orange, blue or purple to light blue. When it turns light blue, it means they are near wilting. If you're a bee or any pollinator, it means - the Boraginaceae flower has no nectar to offer you anymore.
The flowers of Boraginaceae plants normally have 5 sepals and 5 petals with 5 anthers, too. Three of the Boraginaceae that I got from the Green Peace as seeds are the Borage, Forget-Me-Nots and Phalecia Tanacetifolia.
Forget - me -not
Though they are pretty tiny I love them because if you sow them in groups you then get a lot of those vibrant pink, purple, light blue to white flowers specially in summer. I planted them in a pot this year because I didn't get much seed from last year. There were not much bees in 2014 to 2015 and I have no knowledge on pollinating them so I had a few success gathering seeds. I still didn't get much this year but since the bees seem to be back and the bee hotel in the back yard is occupied, I'm hoping for a different turn this year. These are what the seeds of the Forget - me - not look like. They tend to stick to clothes and similar fibers.
There are many stories behind this flower but one that I like the most is that of a lover who found them in the Danube River - blooming along the deep banks and the guy, tried getting those blooms but was taken away by the strong current. He shouted at her to not forget him and so came the name "Forget - me - not". This myth has given the plant the many things it symbolizes.
The plant is very easy to take care of and the only challenge is letting it germinate. If you have a place in your garden that is not too sunny, sow them there and just transfer them in full sun once they germinate. Make sure their soil is always moist, the lover's story should have given you a hint. They were not found in the banks for nothing . They are not pest susceptible and though aphids could come once in a while - you'd probably just find 1 or two of them. The good thing is hover flies love their flowers so in a day or two, the aphids would be gone.
What fascinates me the most is that the pollen holder of this plant is purple compared to the normal yellow - gold ones that other flowers have. They smell pretty sweet and light. You will have to stick your nose in them to be able to sniff their scent.
Like the Forget - me -not, they are also very easy to take care of. In fact, they are considered here as a weed. I would want to have them everywhere in my garden because like clovers they fertilize the soil. Unfortunately, they are not invasive. One seed produces just one sprout and that's it. If you plant them in rich soil they tend to grow pretty huge and the flowers are huge as well.
I have placed them just beside the entrance of the strawberry greenhouse because hover flies love them. The aphids attack the strawberries and the later are very attractive to ants which supply the aphids and when its no longer lady bugs season, I can only rely on the hover flies. The good thing about Phacelias are that I don't need to collect their seeds. They re - appear where I plant them automatically.
Just remember, the seeds are photodormant meaning, you should sow them in the area of your garden where there's not much sun. Like vampires, they tend to germinate in the dark. Every Boraginaceae seeds are photodormant.
If you're also looking forward to Spring and would want to make sure you have pollinators this year in your garden, Boraginaceae plants are one to count on.
There many other plants belonging to Boraginaceae do you happen to know any? Have you got them in your garden?
I took the rest of these pictures with my Samsung Galaxy A3 2016 edition and have only shared them in Steemit.
Here are my other gardening articles:
- Grow Your Own Tropical Mangoes in Western Europe and Other Countries with Hard Winters
- Grow Your Own Citrus Plant in Pots in Your Own Backyard or Veranda and Even Indoors in Cold Countries
- How and Which Tropical Plants Can You Actually Grow in Cold Countries
- My Log in Growing My Own Moringa Plant Indoors in A Cold Country, Half a Year Later
- Garden Hacks : On Propagating Sweet Potato Plants
- Gardening Hacks : On Planting Tomatoes and Other Nightshade Plants
- Follow My Experiment Log on Planting Chestnuts and Walnuts From Seeds
- Gardening Hacks : Basic Tips in Growing Cacti Indoors
- Which Cactus Is This?
- Tips on Propagating Succulents Like Echeverias
- Flowers That Are Still In Bloom in Late Autumn, 2016
- Firethorns in Autumn
- Mispel or The Medlar Fruit