The spring memorial is ideal as an easy-care groundcover for natural gardens, herb beds, graves or borders.
Even early in the year, the memorial (Omphalodes) enchants with its mostly blue flowers, even in locations where many plants would not grow at all. If you want to plant a memorial or are looking for tips on how to properly care for your memorial, you've come to the right place.
Memorial: heyday and properties
The two commemorative species Omphalodes verna and Omphalodes cappadocica belong to the umbilicus genus (Omphalodes). Like the very similar-looking forget-me-nots, this belongs to the borage family (Boraginaceae).
The commemorative plant originally comes from southern Europe, but has now also become naturalized in some parts of our country as a neophyte and can be found primarily on fresh forest edges and in sparse deciduous forests. However, the memorial gene is not very invasive, so it does not crowd out native species.
As a ground cover, the herbaceous memorial species are characterized by their low, cushion-forming habit. Navel nuts are perennial and hardy because, depending on the species, they tolerate temperatures down to - 17 °C or even - 23 °C. The green, heart- to ovoid-shaped, pointed leaves are approximately 4 to 10 cm long and are beautiful to look at all summer long.
In the heyday of the memorial, between April and May, flowers protrude above the carpet of leaves on erect stems. The numerous flowers are slightly larger than 1 cm and mostly blue. They are frequented by a wide variety of insects. Fruits develop from the flowers, which are small and inconspicuous and have a slightly hollowed-out shape like a bowl.
By the way, snails despise memorials. The flower is therefore one of the slug-resistant plants for your garden.
What is the difference between memorial and forget-me-not? Not only the names of memorial and forget-me-not (Myosotis) are similar - they are actually quite closely related. At first glance, there may be confusion with the appearance. Commemorative flowers, however, are slightly larger, while growth tends to be smaller. In addition, commemorative sheds its leaves earlier in autumn than many forget-me-not species. Another difference between memorial and forget-me-not is the flowering period: the forget-me-not begins to bloom when the memorial is fading. In addition, the forget-me-not prefers to grow on much wetter soil.
The most beautiful types and varieties of memorials
Based on the original species, there are now a few other varieties that differ mainly in the color of the flowers. All featured memorial species and cultivars are hardy.
Spring Commemorative (Omphalodes verna)
The original species shows its typical blue flowers from April to May. It spreads via runners that can form beautiful deciduous mats. In the meantime, a number of differently colored flowering varieties have been bred.
- White Spring Commemorative (Omphalodes verna 'Alba'): True to its name, this variety has pure white flowers.
- Omphalodes verna 'Elfenauge': A variety with sky-blue, slightly lighter flowers and a longer flowering period until June.
Caucasian memorial (Omphalodes cappadocica)
The Caucasus memorial also has small blue flowers. In contrast to the spring memorial, it keeps its leaves in sheltered locations in winter and has a slightly longer flowering period until June. Another difference is that the Caucasus memorial grows clump-forming and forms only a few runners. This means: the formation of cushions and carpets of leaves is less pronounced. A few varieties with different flower colors were also bred here.
- Omphalodes cappadocica 'Lilac Mist': A variety with light purple flowers.
- Omphalodes cappadocica 'Starry Eyes': Special flowers of blue color with white edge.
- Omphalodes cappadocica 'Cherry Ingram': A variety with purple-blue flowers.
Planting memorials: location and procedure
The ideal location for memorials is characterized by partial shade and fresh, well-drained and humus-rich soil. Memorials are assigned to the areas of woodland and woodland edges. This means they grow well in the shade of other plants, despite possibly less light, despite having a lot of roots that the memorial plant has to compete with for water and nutrients, and despite foliage on the ground that could hinder budding in spring. In contrast to the spring memorial, the Caucasus memorial also tolerates somewhat stonier, poorer soils. The memorial plant can be cultivated, for example, as a groundcover under taller perennials or as an underplanting for older trees.
Tip: In general, the commemorative plant can be combined well with other perennials for partial shade. These include black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa), bell hosta (Hosta ventricosa) and various types of record sheet (Rodgersiaspec.). For example, Lungwort (Pulmonaria) can be used to grow commemorative plants in underplantings of trees or shrubs.
Since commemorative flowers sprout relatively early in spring, the best time to plant commemorative flowers is in autumn.
Do you have a suitable spot for Omphalodes verna or cappadocica found, you can start planting. This is done in a few steps:
- Prepare the soil by loosening it, removing weeds and working in our Plantura organic universal soil or some mature compost, for example. That makes the subsoil more humus. Our Plantura organic universal soil fully meets the requirements of Omphalodes for moderately nutrient-rich, humus-rich and slightly acidic soil. Furthermore, it is 100% peat-free and made in Germany.
- When digging the planting holes, a planting distance of about 25 cm should be maintained. This corresponds to about 15 to 16 plants per m².
- The memorial plants are placed in the previously dug holes. Fill in the holes with soil and gently press the plantstight.
- Finally everything is poured well. In the coming weeks, make sure that the soil does not dry out.
Tip: Navel nuts can also be cultivated in pots or balcony boxes. Our Plantura organic universal soil is also perfectly suited as a substrate here. Choose a pot that is at least 15 cm in diameter. Flower boxes, for example, are even more suitable because the memorial has more space to spread out there. After you have filled the pots with soil, the plants can be planted and watered well.
The right care
Although the commemorative plant is generally easy to care for, you can use a few tips to further promote the flowering and he alth of the small perennials.
This includes, for example, correct watering. Though memorials like it damp, they don't like it wet. Therefore, only water again when the top layer of soil has dried. Most of the time, watering isn't strictly necessary, except during long periods of drought.
Memorials do not need excessive nutrients. Nevertheless, even below them, the soil impoverishes over time. This is noticeable in weaker growth and fewer flowers. To prevent this, you can work a long-term fertilizer such as our Plantura organic flower fertilizer or mature compost into the soil around the plants every spring. If the crop is too dense, it is enough to just spread the fertilizer and then water it well so that the grains are washed to the ground. Our Plantura organic flower fertilizer has a high proportion of organic ingredients, which keeps the soil humus - this gives you optimal growth conditions for Omphalodes.
Pruning Commemorative Plants can be used to prevent self-seeding from spreading or if the wilted flowers look unattractive. To do this, you remove withered shoots to just above the ground. Unwanted runners can simply be cut back or cut with a spade. In spring you can rake out the planting area to remove old foliage. This has a disease-preventing effect and ensures better exposure of new shoots.
Tip: Propagating the memorial plant is relatively easy, as the plants slowly spread themselves via runners. So you can dig up a rooted runner in autumn or spring and transplant it to a new location. Propagation by division is also possible without any problems and is easier than growing memorial plants from seeds. The best time for itis in autumn after flowering.
Here, commemorative plants are very hardy because they tolerate temperatures down to about - 23 °C. For example, only young plants that spend the first winter outside should be protected by a layer of foliage mulch.
Tip: Care needs to be adjusted slightly for navel nuts in pots. On the one hand, the soil in it dries faster, which is why it has to be watered more often. In addition, in pots, the roots are less well protected from frost. For this reason, you should insulate the pots in winter, for example with a jute bag that is pulled over the bottom of the pot and filled with straw.
Is commemorative poisonous?
For us, memorials are non-toxic. This also applies to dogs, cats and other pets. Forget-me-nots (Myosotis) belong to the same plant family and have similar habitat requirements and growth characteristics as the commemorative plant. In our article you will learn everything about species, plants and care.