Whether you grow beautiful , easy - to - grow Borago officinalis as an decorative plant or a culinary herb , it wo n’t let down .
Sparkling sky - juicy blooms dance atop the fuzzy stems and leaves of one-year borage . glean this herbaceous plant ’s eatable flowers to embellish salad , summer drinks , or sweet . Toss borage blooms onto fanned tomato and mozzarella slice for afestive 4th of July fete . Freeze flowers in ice cube to decorate crapulence with coolheaded colouring material . utilize the leave ( which sample jolly like cucumber ) in salads and cold-blooded drinks . The obtrusive bristly “ hairs ” dissolve when borage is cooked . When eating it crude , pick out vernal blooms .
Borage is toxic when have by dogs , cats , and sawbuck .
Credit:Rob Cardillo
Rob Cardillo
Where to Plant Borage
Plant this herb , which is aboriginal to the Middle East , Mediterranean , and North Africa , in your garden in full sun to part shade . Give borage a sheltered locating to protect it from strong winds that could transgress its stem or blow it over . Planting borage in the herb garden adds height aboveparsley , thyme , oregano , and other ground - hugging herbaceous plant . Borage is also a worthful gain to the repeated garden , where its clean , medium - unripened foliage is a verdant backdrop forlilies , rosebush , and a legion of sheer - flowering perennial plant . Boragegrows well in containersand blooms indoors when given heat and fate of light .
How and When to Plant Borage
Sow tailwort seeds at once in the garden right after the last spring Robert Frost .
Prepare the planting bed for borage by loosen the soil and removing all the weeds . Direct - sow Borago officinalis in a location that experience at least six hours of unmediated sun after the threat of rime has passed . enshroud the source with ½ column inch of soil . Water the source well . The cum germinate in five to 10 days .
lineal sowing in the garden is prefer because the seedlings develop farsighted taproots , take in them tough to transfer . However , the cum can also be sown indoors 4 to 6 weeks before the last portend outflow frost .
Credit:Blaine Moats
After the seedling are established , thin them to brook 12 to 18 inch asunder . The industrial plant attain maturity in June or early July and bloom until the first frost .
Borage Care Tips
Borage is an gentle - to - produce herb that requires lilliputian criminal maintenance and draw in pollinators . As it years , this one-year develops a moderately loose habit and may benefit from staking to continue unsloped in tardy summertime .
Light
Borage prospers infull sunand should get at least six hours of unmediated sunlight daily . The plant life stomach part shade .
Soil and Water
Borage grows good in dry to medium - moist , well - drained soil . It tolerates a variety of soil conditions , including nimble - draining sand and heavy clay but produces its good lavish , leafy ontogeny and a bevy of peak in well - drained loam . The borage plant seldom needs watering after it is established , but water it during drawn-out periods of drought .
Temperature and Humidity
Borage is drouth - tolerant and expand in a sheltered area . It handles the summer heating system but rarely survives a hoar . The borage industrial plant is tolerant of humidity as long as itssoil has good drainage .
Fertilizer
Pruning
Borage does n’t demand much pruning . As the time of year advance , the side stanch tend to get heavy and finally fracture off . tailor them back to the principal theme , which encourages the outgrowth of unexampled side shoots .
Potting and Repotting
Borage grows and bloom indoors in containers if given oestrus and plenty of light source . select a container at least 12 column inch wide and rich that offer first-class drainage . Fill it with well - draining , loamy grime and append a single seedling or a seed . The yearbook wo n’t need to be repotted , but it will likely self - seed at the last of its life ; take away all but one of the volunteer seedling to keep on to revel the industrial plant indoors .
Pests and Problems
Borage is rarely strike by insects or disease . Pollinators are attracted to the sweet nectar of the plant ’s flowers . It is a hardy , deer - immune plant that reproduces and spreads chop-chop . The Borago officinalis plant is prostrate topowdery mold , so preserve enough place between the flora for melodic phrase to flow through .
How to Propagate Borage
Borage faithfully returns from seed each year , apace filling in empty blank space unless you deadhead the blossom or pull the military volunteer seedling in springiness , so you may not need to distribute the plants at all . If that is not the compositor’s case , accumulate the seed from an exist plant or take bow cuttings to propagate borage .
Seeds : Each blossom usually contain four cum that do n’t all mature at the same time . They start out white and mature to Negro when they are ready for harvest . The best way to accumulate the source is to put a tray , box lid , or container on the earth under the works and wait for the seeds to fall , which they do when they are ready . Flicking the blooms gently can encourage the seeds to accrue .
Cuttings : Prepare a bottom with well - draining sandlike soil . Take 3 4 - inchstem crest cuttingsfrom the borage plant . take out foliage from the bottom half and dip the cuttings in rooting hormone . Insert them into the prepared layer and keep them gently moist until they take root . This method acting unremarkably influence better than rooting the herb in item-by-item pots because seedlings do n’t transplant well .
Credit:Peter Krumhardt
Harvesting Borage
Pluck tender untried leave as needed at any time during the growing season . The entire flora can be harvest as soon as it start to flower .
Harvest the vibrant blue flowers as comestible decoration or add them tocut efflorescence arrangements .
utilise invigorated borage during the spring and summer because the herb does n’t dry out well for culinary usance , and its leaves drop off their look when dried .
Credit:Robert Cardillo
Types of Borage
Common Borage
Blaine moat
Borago officinalis , or common borage , is easy recognizable in the herbaceous plant garden by its spectacular blue blooms ( the only other color is ashen ) . This plant — with its beautiful blue flush — is the one most gardeners recognize as borage and most potential to be found in the local garden gist .
White Borage
Peter Krumhardt
Borago officinalis‘Alba ’ has intense white flowers on hardy stalks rather than the recognizable blue ones , but it is just as useful in the herb garden . It usually blooms after in the time of year than its cousin-german with sky - blue flowers . Like its substantially - known congener , it has a flavor and scent that resembles Cucumis sativus and attract pollinators .
Variegated Borage
Borago officinalis‘Variegata ’ is a uncommon cultivar that has snowy splodge on its light-green leafage and displays delicate blue flowers . As with other borage case , it attracts pollinators and has a mild cucumber scent and smack .
Borage Companion Plants
Squash
Robert Cardillo
Squash plantsrely on insect pollinators to fruit , but when pollinator are wanting , squash vines often produce flower but no yield . Borago officinalis increase pollinator natural action in the garden because bee and other good louse are attract to borage prime . Borage planted near squash vine may also deter squash pestilence .
Strawberries
Planting borage nearstrawberry plantsincreases the strawberry ' resistance to disease by drive detrimental dirt ball and attracting good insects and pollinators to the strawberry mark bed . Strawberry farmers often embed some tailwort in their line of business to enhance the flavor and yield of the strawberry .
Tomatoes
Marty Ross
If you plant borage neartomato plants , Borago officinalis improves the growth of tomatoes because it attract bee and other beneficial insect to the garden . Borage is also have a go at it for discouraging worm from preying on tomatoes . Plant small bush tomato varieties 24 in apart and larger variety 36 to 48 inch asunder .
Frequently Asked Questions
Borage is a prolific ego - seeder but not to the point of being invasive . To prevent it from reseeding , shorten off the flower stalks before they set germ . undesirable seedlings that appear are easy to take out .
Borage is commercially cultivated for borage oil extracted from the plant ’s seed . Borago officinalis seminal fluid oil nutritionary supplements are useable as liquid drops , capsules , and softgels . Borage is used in some skincare products , including essential oil , body lotion , optic cream , and soap .
Borage is the traditional decoration for gin - based summer crapulence . you could even makeborage - flavored ice cubesto float in your favorite drink . If you ’re feel creative , elevate deck bar with crystallized tailwort flowers , or add dry out tailwort flower topotpourrito give it a touch of blue .
Credit: Stephen Cridland
" Borage . “ASPCA
Credit:Marty Ross
