Marginal pond plant
Water forget-me-not
Myosotis scorpioides
A rhizomatous, clump-forming marginal perennial for pond edges, Water forget‑me‑not produces bright blue flowers in late spring/early summer and grows in water up to 10 cm deep.
PLANT PROFILE
About Water forget-me-not
Water forget‑me‑not (Myosotis scorpioides) is a rhizomatous, marginal perennial commonly used at pond edges and in shallow water. It is a native British wetland plant and is recorded frequently in freshwater habitat surveys. Plants typically reach around 30 cm high and can spread to form clumps up to about 50 cm across. RHS guidance recommends growing it in wet soil at pool margins or in baskets in shallow water no deeper than 10 cm. The supplied sources do not give a numeric planting depth for root or container placement, only the maximum water depth of 10 cm.
This species is suited to reliably wet or poorly drained substrate in full sun or partial shade, and it flowers in late spring to early summer (notably May and into early summer). It is hardy (RHS H6) and described as semi‑evergreen, surviving UK winters. Propagation and establishment methods documented in the sources include sowing seed in situ in mud or in moist compost in a cold frame, and division in spring; divisions may be replanted in mud or in baskets set at the margin.
For garden ponds, RHS notes planting in baskets or marginal beds to help contain spread because the plant is rhizomatous and can establish on margins. Routine maintenance in the supplied guidance is straightforward: cut back after flowering. RHS also notes susceptibility to powdery and downy mildews. When lifting or disposing of plant material, follow GOV.UK biosecurity guidance on careful disposal to avoid spreading fragments into the wild.
Legally, Myosotis scorpioides is not named on the GOV.UK list of invasive alien plants subject to statutory restrictions in England & Wales, and no statutory restriction was identified for Scotland or Northern Ireland within the supplied sources. The plant is valued for wildlife — it appears in RHS pollinator/wildflower lists and is used in planting to provide cover for amphibians — and is generally easy to grow where soils remain wet.
POND SUITABILITY