Chatham Island Forget-Me-Not – Kopakopa

I’ve been seduced – again!
I’m seriously considering growing a Chatham Island Forget-Me-Not – Myosotidium hortensia for a third time. Tricky to grow, but if you succeed you will be rewarded with an outstanding cluster of plants that have large glossy, rippled leaves and impressive blue flowers in the spring. There is also a much rarer white variety.
Myosotidium hortensia is not a true forget-me-not, it was named because of the similarity of the flowers,

On the Chatham Islands, it happily grows along the coastal cliffs, in the forest openings, among the rocky outcrops and on the landward side of boulder beaches, where it grows among the heaps of kelp and accumulated paua shells. In your garden, the plants like rich, moist soil – it will not tolerate drought – and some shade, but not deep shade where they will not flower well. Plants can form clumps over a metre in diameter and look good under trees, but avoid competition from other plants.

Coastal development has destroyed the only known wild population of white-flowered plants. Grazing, trampling by domestic and feral animals, and weed encroachment, especially marram grass, are major threats to this endangered native plant.