Borage – Borago officinalis

Description

Borage is great for pollinators!

Borage is a charming annual herb that brings beauty, flavor, and pollinator activity to the garden. Native to the Mediterranean region, this easy-to-grow plant produces hundreds of brilliant blue, star-shaped flowers atop bushy plants with soft gray-green, cucumber-scented foliage. Blooming from early summer through fall, borage provides a long-lasting display while attracting honey bees, native bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects.

Both the flowers and young leaves are edible, offering a refreshing cucumber-like flavor that makes a colorful addition to salads, sandwiches, cold drinks, teas, and garnishes. An excellent companion plant for vegetables, borage is often grown alongside tomatoes, squash, and cucumbers to help create a diverse, pollinator-friendly garden.

Borage thrives in full sun to light shade and adapts well to a wide range of well-drained soils, including average and nutrient-poor sites. Once established, it is drought-tolerant, low-maintenance, and readily self-sows, often returning year after year. Deadheading or cutting plants back by about half in midsummer encourages fresh growth and extends the blooming season.

Quick Specs

• Origin: Introduced
• Type: Annual/Biennial
• Color: Blue
• Height: 18-24 inches
• Width/spread: 12-18 inches
• Sunlight: Full sun, partial shade
• Water: Average/Moist
• Bloom Season: Summer
• Planting Time: Spring or fall
• Zones: 3b-10a
• Use: Cottage, vegetable, herb, pollinator gardens, and containers; deer- & drought-resistant.
• Attracts: Butterflies, bees, bumblebees
• Packet weight: 6 grams
• Seeds per packet: Approx. 360 seeds