What is it? The beauty of forget-me-nots (Myosotis sylvatica) is that they provide a frilly skirt for spring bulbs, filling bare soil with a long-lasting display of flowers from April to June, then fading into the background as summer plants begin to dominate. 'Sylva' is a mix of pinks and whites, as well as the traditional blue.
And where? Forget-me-nots do surprisingly well on poor, thin soil that other plants would understandably balk at. But their ideal conditions are moist soil in sun or partial shade.
Any drawbacks? Bear in mind there's some work involved with these plants: you'll need to pot on your plugs and transplant them into the garden once they've beefed up a bit. In damp springs, forget-me-nots can suffer from the fungal disease mildew, especially if they're overcrowded.
What else does it do? Forget-me-nots are prolific self-seeders: good, if you want to increase your stock, but they can become invasive if you don't winkle out seedlings that pop up in the wrong place.
Buy it Order 36 plugs for £11.99, or 72 for £15.99 (all prices include free UK mainland p&p). To order, call 0330 333 6856, quoting ref GU72, or visit our Reader Offers page. Delivery from August.