Borage is an easy growing annual herb plant with vivid blue flowers and leaves and flowers that have the flavor and scent of cucumbers. It is considered an herb but is often grown as a flower in vegetable gardens where it attracts pollinating bees and is considered a good companion plant for tomatoes, squash, and strawberries. It’s even supposed to deter tomato hornworms and improve the flavor of tomatoes growing nearby.Borage is a somewhat gangly plant, but you barely notice it because the star-shaped flowers are so vibrant. They start pink and turn a true blue, hanging in downward facing clusters. Even the fuzzy white buds are attractive. Both the flowers and the leaves are edible, with a cucumber-like flavor. Use the leaves while they are young because as the plant matures, the stalks and leaves become covered with a prickly fuzz.
Borage Care
Borago Officinalis
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Humidity
Normal
Lighting
Full Sun
Hardiness zone
6 - 9
Difficulty
Medium
Hibernation
Cold Period
How to Care for the Plant
Water
Borage doesn't have a huge need for water if it's not the first weeks after sowing, transplanting, or planting, and on very hot days — and of course, watch over it all the same if you keep yours in a pot!
Pruning
Plants can be pinched or pruned, to encourage branching and keep them shorter.
Fertilizer
Plants in poor soil will benefit from periodic feeding with any fertilizer labeled for use on edible plants. Something with a high phosphorous number (the middle number on a fertilizer package) will help keep them in flower.
Sunlight
Borage grows best in full sun to partial shade. Growing borage plants in full sun will give you the most flowers and the stockiest plants.
Soil
The plants are tolerant of any type of soil, even poor dry soil. However, a sunny location with rich, well-draining soil is optimal. Amending the soil with some type of organic matter, such as compost, will give your borage plants a boost.
Additional
The plant, but not the oil obtained from the seeds, contains small amounts of pyrrolizidine alkaloids that can cause liver damage and liver cancer. These alkaloids are present in too small a quantity to be harmful unless you make borage a major part of your diet, though people with liver problems would be wise to avoid using the leaves or flowers of this plant
Popularity
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