ON FORGET-ME-NOTS 169 



The true native Forget-me-not, " the blue and bright- 

 eyed floweret of the brook," has blue flowers with a 

 yellow eye, and the same combination of colours dis- 

 tinguishes that charming Swiss species dissitiflora, which 

 was introduced to Great Britain as recently as 1868. 

 This comes near to being the best of all Forget-me- 

 nots for the flower garden, owing to its neat, dense 

 habit and profusion of bloom. The specific name means 

 distant-flowered, and bears reference to the fact that 

 the flowers are disposed more loosely on the stems 

 than those of the older species. Directly flower 

 gardeners saw the Swiss Distant-flowered Forget-me- 

 not they fell in love with it, and it has been a prime 

 favourite with them from the moment of its introduc- 

 tion. They were not satisfied until they had raised 

 improved varieties of it. Two of these are called 

 grandiflora and splendens, both blue ; then there are 

 alba, white ; and elegantissima, the leaves of which are 

 edged with white, and Perfection. Dissitiflora is quite 

 likely to begin blooming in February or March ; directly 

 the winter relaxes it is in flower. 



Another useful species is the Wood Forget-me-not, 

 sylvatica. It is of taller growth, and hardly so suitable 

 therefore for carpeting bulb-beds as dissitiflora ; but it 

 is a free grower and bloomer in moist soil. There are 

 several varieties of this species, one, compacta aurea, 

 having yellow leaves. Distinction is a fine form also. 

 Azorica, a species from the Azores, is a lovely Forget- 

 me-not, having rich dark-blue flowers; but unfortu- 

 nately it is somewhat tender. It blooms as late as 

 August. There is a good variety of it called Impe"ratrice 

 Elizabeth. 



The one Forget-me-not which will thrive in dry soil 

 is the species Alpestris, which is also called rupicola 



