When to plant Forget Me Not in Tropical Australia

Tropical zone — applies to Darwin, Cairns, Townsville, Broome, Mackay and similar areas. Growing elsewhere? Temperate · Cool · Subtropical · Arid.

Sow forget-me-nots direct from March to May, scattering the fine seed into a cool, part-shaded bed as the dry season settles in. Cover lightly to about 3 mm, keep the surface moist, and expect germination in 7–14 days. These low, spreading plants reach flowering in roughly 80–90 days, giving a haze of tiny blue flowers through the mildest part of the tropical year. Thin or space seedlings to about 30 cm, with rows 15–20 cm apart, so the mat knits together without crowding. In Cairns and Townsville the March-to-May sowing lines the display up with the cooler, drier weeks that suit this hardy self-seeder best.

Sowing calendar — tropical zone

Green months are your sowing window: March to May.

Growing notes

Forget-me-nots are a cool-climate woodland plant, so the trick in the tropics is to catch the short, mild window and give them shade. Sowing from March to May as the wet season eases means the seedlings establish in falling humidity rather than fighting rot, and the plants flower through the coolest, driest stretch the tropics offer.

Site them in part shade, ideally morning sun with afternoon shelter, and in free-draining soil. Full tropical sun scorches the soft foliage and shortens the display.

The main failure mode here is powdery mildew. Forget-me-nots are notoriously prone to it, and in humid gardens around Cairns or Mackay a healthy mat can turn grey and crisp within a week or two. Keep plants at the recommended 30 cm spacing so air moves freely, water at soil level in the morning, and remove the first mildewed leaves promptly rather than letting it spread. If an early wet-season storm arrives, the display may finish abruptly.

On the plus side, they self-seed freely, so a patch that flowers and sets seed one dry season will often reappear the next without any effort from you. Let a few plants run to seed before you clear the bed.

Forget Me Not at a glance

Common questions

When should I sow forget-me-nots in the tropics?

From March to May, as the wet season eases and the milder, drier weeks arrive. This timing lets seedlings establish in falling humidity and flower through the coolest part of the tropical year.

Do forget-me-nots need shade in Cairns?

Yes, give them part shade, ideally morning sun with protection from harsh afternoon light. Full tropical sun scorches the soft leaves and cuts the flowering short.

Why has my forget-me-not gone grey and powdery?

That is powdery mildew, a disease this plant is very prone to in humid conditions. Space plants 30 cm apart for airflow, water at soil level in the morning, and remove affected leaves early to slow it down.

Do forget-me-nots come back every year?

They self-seed readily, so if you let a few plants set seed before clearing the bed, new seedlings usually appear the following dry season. That makes them low-effort once established.

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