Large, fuzzy, cucumber-scented leaves and vivid blue flowers attract bees all summer long. Usually grown for the bees and flowers, young leaves can be cooked like spinach or used in salads. Also known as the star flower because of the arrangement of its petals, the flowers have a light cucumber flavour and will stun with their vivid blue petals. A dramatic use is to make ice cubes with the petals frozen into them and drop into cold drinks. Borage seeds contain oils with the highest concentration (20% to 30%) of the fatty acid GLA, even higher than Evening Primrose. Altogether a versatile, attractive and useful herb, add starry blue flowers to salads, drinks, berry desserts for visual appeal. Borage may self sow. It is attractive to bumblebees that must buzz at a certain resonance to release a jet of pollen.

Difficulty Easy

Cool season

Exposure: Full sun to partial shade

Timing

Direct sow in mid- to late spring. Borage develops a delicate taproot, so it’s best direct sown where it is to grow. Borage does not transplant well. Optimal soil temperature for germination: 21°C (70°F). Seeds should sprout in 5-15 days.

Starting

Sow seeds 1cm (½”) deep, and thin to 60cm (24″) apart. Borage will get large and fill in spaces between plants.

Growing

Borage is an un-fussy, self-sowing annual. To avoid self-sowing, the flower heads need to be picked regularly. Borage does best in full sun in well drained soil.

Harvest

Pick fresh flowers for freezing or drying for bouquets. Cut the fresh leaves during the summer to add to salads or spreads.

Seed Info

Usual seed life: 3 years.

Companion Planting

Borage is an excellent all around companion plant. Borage deters hornworm and cabbage worms, and is particularly useful planted near tomatoes and strawberries. Very attractive to pollinators and excellent for the soil and compost. Borage is deer-proof.

How to Grow Borage

Step 1

Timing

Direct sow in mid- to late spring. Borage develops a delicate taproot, so it’s best direct sown where it is to grow. Borage does not transplant well. Optimal soil temperature for germination: 21°C (70°F). Seeds should sprout in 5-15 days.

Step 2

Starting

Sow seeds 1cm (½”) deep, and thin to 60cm (24″) apart. Borage will get large and fill in spaces between plants.

Step 3

Growing

Borage is an un-fussy, self-sowing annual. To avoid self-sowing, the flower heads need to be picked regularly. Borage does best in full sun in well drained soil.

Step 4

Germination

Usual seed life: 3 years.

Step 5

Harvest

Pick fresh flowers for freezing or drying for bouquets. Cut the fresh leaves during the summer to add to salads or spreads.