By one account, the forget-me-not got its name when a knight died for his love in a rather clumsy way. This story says that the knight's armor threw off his balance as he knelt to pick flowers for his beloved lady, causing him to tumble into a river. Before he drowned, he threw the flowers to her and cried, "Forget me not!"

While this may be nothing more than a legend, it bears some truth in that the forget-me-not thrives in the moist conditions. The Metropolitan Museum of Art says the flower also became a popular symbol of love in the Middle Ages, in part because its blue color was a symbol for fidelity.

Blue isn't the only color you'll find on forget-me-nots, though. Some varieties include hues of white or pink.

According to the National Gardening Association, flower stalks will grow about six or 12 inches tall. Each flower is tiny, only about a quarter inch across, but there will be many on each stalk. This quality makes forget-me-nots a good choice for providing ground cover around trees, shrubs, or other flowers, though it is also an excellent choice for a wildflower garden.

Depending on the variety, forget-me-nots can be either biennial or perennial. Biennial flowers will bloom between May and June, then die off once the days get warmer; new seedlings will appear in the autumn, then overwinter to bloom in spring. Perennial varieties are usually found in wetlands or other particularly moist conditions, and their bloom will be sustained through the spring and summer.

The flowers propagate by seed, so you may find the forget-me-nots spreading to parts of the garden where you didn't intend to plant them. If you want to keep them in a certain area, you can gently lift them up with a trowel and transplant them to the plot of your choice. Forget-me-nots will also grow well in containers.

When choosing a site, keep the moisture requirements in mind. Forget-me-nots will do best in a partially shaded area, but they can tolerate full sunlight as long as they have plenty of water.

Soil should be well-drained, but able to retain plenty of moisture. The pH level should be neutral.

Seeds can be planted in the spring by sowing them on the surface of soil that has a temperature of at least 65 degrees. White Flower Farm in Litchfield says plants should be spaced about five inches apart and will grow well without fertilizer.

Biennial flowers will start to die off in mid-summer. The National Gardening Association says you shouldn't cut back or otherwise remove the flowers at this point, as they will be setting seeds for future blooms. You can also start the flowers in late summer by scattering them in a shady area.

Forget-me-nots are generally unaffected by diseases or pests, aside from the possible appearance of aphids. These pests can be removed by spraying down the flowers with a hose.