Guide to growing Bugloss, Summer forget-me-not - Anchusa
The common names for the hardy annual or perennial plant Anchusa include Summer forget-me-not, Alkanet, Bugloss, Siberian bugloss and Cape forget me not. Latin names include Anchusa officinalis, Anchusa azurea, Anchusa capensis and Anchusa arvensis.
They typically flower from the middle of summer until the end of summer..
Description of Bugloss, Summer forget-me-not, Alkanet
Anchusa are diverse plants; they may be either deciduous or evergreen. Some plants form mat like coverage, yet others grow upright.
Anchusa plants such as Bugloss and Summer forget me not’s have very intense flowers of deep blue; they are often tubular in nature. As a consequence of the plants variations in height they can have many uses in the garden, smaller plants are often used in gaps between crazy paving, whilst the bigger species can be used towards the back of a border.
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| G.A. Cooper @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database Smithsonian Institution, Department of Systematic Biology-Botany. |
How to grow Bugloss, Alkanet and othe Anchusa
It is best to plant Anchusa just below the soil surface, with a spacing of 25 to 30 cm for smaller species and from 45 to 75 cm apart for larger species. Annual varieties should be planted in the early spring whereas perennials should be planted in after the last frost of spring. Annual Anchusa prefer brightly sunlit conditions whilst perennials can grow in partly shady to full sunlit conditions. The soil should be moist and ideally have a pH between 6 and 7.
Caring for Bugloss
Anchusa requires between one and four weeks to germinate. When starting Bugloss species off from seed indoors, the seeds should planted six to eight weeks before they are due to be put outside, ideally after the last frost of spring.
Garden Plants and Flowers A / Flowers B / Flowers C / Flowers S