There’s a specific moment in the garden when it’s poised between the excitement of early spring, when each sign of life is a treasure beyond compare, and the mad rush of exuberant growth in the heady months of May and June. A lot of the spring bulbs have done their thing, but the herbaceous perennials aren’t quite ready to fill the gap. This is where the indispensable forget-me-not, Myosotis sylvestris comes in!

This European native wildflower seems to almost float around the garden, popping up here and there wherever it pleases, which is part of its undeniable charm. It’s extremely versatile, useful for filling gaps in borders while other plants are still growing or haven’t filled out yet, edging paths and spilling over containers.

The soft baby blue of its pretty yet tiny flowers is also perfect for this time of year, a great match for the vibrant green of chlorophyll-rich leaves. I also like combining it with orange Geum and tulips (orange and blue are opposite each other on the colour wheel, making a nice contrast).

As you’d expect for a native wildflower, it’s great for wildlife, providing pollen and nectar for bumblebees and early butterflies. It’s tough too, rarely troubled by disease and of no interest to slugs. Now in my garden that’s definitely a cause for celebration (I have a very healthy slug population!)

But of course you can have too much of a good thing! I do thin it out pretty ruthlessly after flowering as it is a prolific self-seeder. Great for free plants next year, but editing is required. I always leave a few to form seed where I want them to appear, and I also spread the stems, seeds and all, in new areas I want it to colonise. This is a fun way to experiment with a new look with almost no effort or expense!

Do you have forget-me-nots in your garden? Too few or too many?!