Flowers – Forget me nots – Anchusa blue – Heirloom Seeds

In the garden Anchusa capensis is a very easy plant adapting to most soils, surviving on very little water and seeding itself readily. The basic requirements are full sun and well-drained soil. In the western Cape, the plants grow during the wet winters and flower in late spring and early summer. If Anchusa capensis receives no water during the summer it dies after forming seed. This germinates freely the next winter. Although the Cape-forget-me-not is a biennial, it is best treated as an annual in the garden. The plants get very untidy in the second year and have to be cut back after flowering. When cutting back be very careful of contact with the rough leaves as they can cause an irritating rash, especially on softer skin. If the plants are watered during summer, the Cape-for-get-me-not keeps on going and can easily be grown as a summer annual.