Omphalodes: planting, care & the most beautiful varieties

As a low-maintenance groundcover, Omphalodes is ideal for natural gardens, perennial beds, graves or edging.

Early in the year, navelwort (Omphalodes) charms with its mostly blue flowers, and even in locations where many plants would not grow at all. If you want to plant memorial vine or are looking for tips on how to properly care for Omphalodes, this is the article for you.

Omphalodes: flowering and properties

The two species Omphalodes verna and Omphalodes cappadocica belong to the genus navelwort (Omphalodes). This, like the very similar looking forget-me-nots, belongs to the family of broad-leaved plants (Boraginaceae).

Originally from southern Europe, Omphalodes has now also become naturalised as a neophyte in some places in Germany and can be found mainly on fresh forest edges and in sparse deciduous forests. However, the plant does not behave very invasively, so it does not displace native species.

As ground covers, herbaceous Omphalodes species are characterised by a low, carpet-forming habit. Navelworts are perennial and very winter-hardy. Depending on the species, they can tolerate temperatures down to -17 °C or even -23 °C. The green, heart-shaped to egg-shaped, pointed leaves are about 4 to 10 cm long and beautiful to look at all summer long.

During the flowering period, between April and May, flowers protrude from upright stems above the carpet of leaves. The numerous flowers are slightly larger than 1 cm and mostly blue. They are heavily frequented by a wide variety of insects. Fruits develop from the flowers, which are small and inconspicuous, and have a slightly cup-shaped hollowed shape.
By the way, snails despise Omphalodes. Therefore, the flower is one of the snail-resistant plants for your garden.

What is the difference between Omphalodes and forget-me-not? Omphalodes and forget-me-nots (Myosotis) are actually quite closely related. At first glance, the appearance may cause confusion. However, Omphalodes has slightly larger flowers, whereas the growth usually remains smaller. In addition, Omphalodes loses its leaves in autumn earlier than many species of forget-me-nots. Another difference between Omphalodes and forget-me-nots is the flowering time: the forget-me-not starts to bloom when the blue-eyed-mary is just fading. In addition, the forget-me-not prefers to grow in much wetter soils.

The most beautiful species and varieties

Based on the original species, nowadays there are several other varieties, which differ mainly in the colour of flowers. All presented blue-eyed-mary species and varieties are winter-hardy.

Blue-eyed-Mary (Omphalodes verna)

The original species displays typical blue flowers from April to May. It spreads by runners that can form beautiful deciduous mats. In the meantime, a number of different coloured flowering varieties have been bred.

• White blue-eyed-mary (Omphalodes verna ‘Alba’): as the name suggests, this variety has pure white flowers.

• Omphalodes verna ‘Elf’s Eye’: a cultivar with sky blue, slightly lighter flowers and a longer bloom time into June.

Cappadocian navelwort (Omphalodes cappadocica)

Cappadocian navelwort also has small blue flowers. Unlike the blue-eyed-Mary, it retains its leaves in winter in sheltered locations and has a slightly longer blooming period into June. Another difference is that the Cappadocian navelwort grows in clusters and forms few stolons. This means that the formation of leaf carpets is less pronounced. A few varieties with different coloured flowers have also been bred.

• Omphalodes cappadocica ‘Lilac Mist’: a cultivar with light purple flowers.
• Omphalodes cappadocica ‘Starry Eyes’: special blue flowers with a white edge.
• Omphalodes cappadocica ‘Cherry Ingram’: a variety with violet-blue flowers.

Planting Omphalodes: location and procedure

The ideal location is characterised by partial shade and a fresh, well-drained and humus soil. Omphalodes is assigned to the living areas of copses and forest edges. This means they grow well in the shade of other plants, despite possibly less light, despite many roots with which Omphalodes must compete for water and nutrients, and despite foliage on the ground that might interfere with sprouting in the spring. Unlike the blue-eyed-mary, the Cappadocian navelwort also tolerates somewhat stonier, leaner soils. The blue-eyed-mary can be cultivated, for example, as a ground cover under taller perennials or as an underplanting of older trees.

Tip: Generally, Omphalodes can be well combined with other perennials for partial shade. These include black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa), blue plantain lily (Hosta ventricosa), and various leafy species (Rodgersia spec.). In underplantings of trees or shrubs, Omphalodes can be grown well with lungworts (Pulmonaria), for example.

Because Omphalodes sprouts relatively early in the spring, the best time to plant blue-eyed-mary is in the autumn.
Once you have found a suitable location for Omphalodes verna or cappadocica, you can get down to planting. This is done in just a few steps:

1. Prepare the soil by loosening it, removing weeds and incorporating, for example, our Plantura Organic All Purpose Compost or some mature compost. This makes the subsoil more humus.
2. When digging the planting holes, maintain a planting distance of about 25 cm. This corresponds to about 15 to 16 plants per m².
3. The plants are placed in the previously dug holes. Fill the holes with soil and lightly press down the plants.
4. Finally, water everything well. Over the next few weeks, make sure that the soil does not dry out.

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Tip: Omphalodes can also be cultivated in pots or balcony boxes. Our Plantura Organic All Purpose Compost is also perfect as a substrate here. Choose a pot with a diameter of at least 15 cm. Flower boxes are even more suitable because the plant has more space to spread. After you fill the containers with soil, the plants can be planted and watered well.

The right care

Although Omphalodes is generally low-maintenance, a few tips can further promote the blooming and health of these small perennials.
This includes, for example, proper watering. The plant likes it damp, but not wet. Therefore, do not water again until the top layer of the soil has dried out. Most often, watering is not required except during long periods of drought.

Omphalodes does not need an excessive amount of nutrients. Nevertheless, the soil can become impoverished over time. This is noticeable in weaker growth and fewer flowers. In spring, a slow-release fertiliser such as our Plantura Flower Food or mature compost can be used around plants in poor soils. If the population is too dense, simply sprinkle the fertiliser and then water well, so that the grains are flushed to the ground. Our Plantura Flower Food has a high content of organic ingredients, which keeps the soil humus – so you get optimal growing conditions for Omphalodes.

You can prune Omphalodes if you want to prevent spreading by self-seeding or if the wilted flowers look unsightly. To do this, remove withered shoots to just above ground height. Unwanted runners can simply be cut back or topped with spades. In the spring, you can rake out the planting area to remove old foliage. This prevents disease and provides better exposure for new shoots.

Tip: Propagating Omphalodes is relatively easy as the plants slowly spread themselves via runners. Thus, in the autumn or spring, you can dig up a rooted stolon and transplant it to a new location. Propagation by division is also feasible without any problems and easier than to grow than blue-eyed mary from seed. The best time for this is in the autumn after flowering.

In our country, Omphalodes is considered hardy as it can tolerate temperatures down to about -23 ° C. Only young plants that spend the first winter outside should be protected, for example, with a mulch layer of leaves.

Tip: When growing Omphalodes in a pot, the care must be adjusted somewhat. Firstly, the soil dries out faster in pots, so you will need to water more often. In addition, in pots the roots are less protected from frost. For this reason, you should insulate the containers in winter, for example, using a jute bag, which is put over the pot from below and filled with straw.

Is the plant poisonous?

For us, Omphalodes is non-toxic. This also applies for dogs, cats and other pets.

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Forget-me-nots (Myosotis) belong to the same plant family and have similar location requirements and growth characteristics as the blue-eyed mary.