Common Name: bugloss
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Boraginaceae
Zone: 3 to 10
Height: 1.00 to 1.50 feet
Spread: 1.00 to 1.25 feet
Bloom Time: May to August
Bloom Description: Blue
Sun: Full sun
Water: Dry to medium
Maintenance: Medium
Suggested Use: Annual
Flower: Showy, Good Cut
Attracts: Butterflies
Tolerate: Clay Soil, Dry Soil, Shallow-Rocky Soil
Culture
Best grown in evenly moist to dry, fertile, well-draining soils in full sun. Tolerant of a wide variety of soil types including poor, rocky soils, dry soils, and clay soils. Shear plants after the first flush of blooms to encourage a second flush of blooms and new growth. Plants may go semi-dormant with the arrival of hot and dry conditions in summer. Supplemental irrigation may help keep them blooming and growing all summer. Will reseed readily. Some self-sowing is necessary if persistence in the garden is desired. Hardy in Zones 8-10. Plants are best treated as an annual in colder climates.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Anchusa capensis, commonly called summer forget-me-not, Cape forget-me-not, or bugloss, is a short-lived herbaceous perennial, biennial, or annual native to southern and central South Africa where they are typically found growing in disturbed areas and roadsides in drier, sandy soils. Mature plants will reach up to 1.5-2’ tall in bloom and clumps will reach 1-1.25’ wide. Compound inflorescences of bright blue flowers arise from basal clumps of hairy, narrow, lanceolate leaves from spring through summer. The flowers are attractive to butterflies, bees, and other insect pollinators.
The genus name Anchusa comes from the Greek, and possibly refers to the use of certain members of this genus as the source of a red dye.
The specific epithet capensis means “of the Cape”, in reference to the native range of this species.
These plants are in the same family (Boraginaceae) as “true” forget-me-nots (genus Myosotis) and have somewhat similar small, blue flowers. References to the Cape and summer refer to this species native range and bloom time. Bugloss is a common name associated with many members of the Boraginaceae family and comes from the Greek bous meaning “ox” and glossa meaning “tongue”, most likely in reference to the leaf shape of some members of this family.
'Blue Angel' features darker blue flowers and a more compact size, reaching 1-1.5’ tall when in bloom.
Problems
No major pest or disease problems of note. Self-seeding may be problematic.
Uses
Massed or grouped at the edges or fronts of mixed borders, rock gardens, pollinator gardens, or containers. Suitable for use as a cut flower in fresh arrangements. The flowers are also edible.