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Borage (Borago officinalis)

from $8.99

Botanical name: Borago officinalis‍ ‍ • Bloom season: Summer to fall ‍ • Bloom color: Sky blue ‍ • Host plant (elsewhere in North America): Syntomeida epilais

Sky-blue five-pointed stars with black centers, nodding on bristly gray-green stems. The flowers and young leaves taste faintly of cucumber. It belongs in a pollinator garden for a unique mechanical reason: a borage flower refills its nectar within minutes of being emptied, so a single plant can support continuous bee traffic all day.

Botanical name: Borago officinalis‍ ‍ • Bloom season: Summer to fall ‍ • Bloom color: Sky blue ‍ • Host plant (elsewhere in North America): Syntomeida epilais

Sky-blue five-pointed stars with black centers, nodding on bristly gray-green stems. The flowers and young leaves taste faintly of cucumber. It belongs in a pollinator garden for a unique mechanical reason: a borage flower refills its nectar within minutes of being emptied, so a single plant can support continuous bee traffic all day.

Size:

Plant Characteristics

Botanical Name: Borago officinalis

Common Name: Borage

Native: Non-native

Sun: Full Sun

Water: Moderate

Bloom Time: Summer to fall

Bloom Color: Star-shaped sky blue

Pollinators: Bees

Deer Resistant: Yes

Mature Size: W 1'-2' x H 1'-3'

Soil: Well-drained; average garden soil

Plant Type: Annual

USDA Zones: 2 to 11

Spread Habit: Self-sows freely

Available As: Live plant

Native Region: Not native to North America; origin Mediterranean

Host Plant (Elsewhere in North America): Syntomeida epilais

Growing Notes

Full sun and ordinary garden soil with moderate water. Direct-sow or plant out after frost. It grows fast and gets floppy, so give it about 18 inches and let it lean on neighbors, or site it at the back. It handles heat well as long as it is not bone dry.

  • Water: Moderate

  • Sun: Full Sun

  • Soil: Well-drained; average garden soil

  • Mature size: W 1'-2' x H 1'-3'

Maintenance

Borage is an annual that self-sows freely, and a single planting usually becomes a permanent feature of the garden. Deadhead before it sets seed if you want control, or let it go and pull volunteers where you don’t want them. Pull the plant when it collapses in late summer and expect it back next spring.