Borage

Alright, my fellow green thumbs, let’s chat about a truly delightful herb that’s as pretty as it is practical: Borage!

Borage: The Star-Flowered Friend of Your Garden!

Borage, with its vibrant, star-shaped blue flowers and fuzzy leaves, is an absolute charmer in any garden. This herb isn’t just a pretty face; it’s a hardworking multitasker that will bring joy to your eyes, a unique flavor to your plate, and a buzz of happy pollinators to your outdoor space. Often overlooked, borage is incredibly easy to grow and a fantastic choice for both seasoned gardeners and those just dipping their toes into the wonderful world of herbs.

Imagine stepping into your garden and seeing those dazzling blue stars against a backdrop of lush green foliage! Borage is a true standout, and its subtle, refreshing flavor, often described as a hint of cucumber, makes it a fun and unexpected addition to your culinary adventures. Whether you’re looking to attract beneficial insects, add a splash of color, or explore new tastes, borage is a rewarding plant that proves gardening can be both beautiful and bountiful.

Why Grow Borage?

• Pollinator Magnet: If you want your garden to be a buzzing hub of activity, borage is your best friend! Its abundant, nectar-rich flowers are irresistible to bees, butterflies, and other essential pollinators, ensuring a healthier and more productive garden overall.
• Edible Beauty: Those gorgeous blue flowers aren’t just for show–they’re edible! They add a delightful pop of color and a mild, refreshing, cucumber-like flavor to salads, drinks, and desserts. The young leaves are also edible, offering a unique taste.
• Soil Enhancer: Borage is a bit of a secret superhero for your soil! Its deep taproot helps to break up compacted soil and bring up nutrients from deeper layers, making them accessible to surrounding plants. When the plant eventually fades, you can even chop it up and use it as a “green manure” to enrich your garden beds.
• Natural Pest Deterrent: Believe it or not, borage can also help deter some common garden pests. It’s particularly noted for its ability to attract beneficial insects like predatory wasps that prey on pests like tomato hornworms and cabbage worms, acting as a natural protector for your veggies.
• Easy-Peasy to Grow: Seriously, if you can sow a seed, you can grow borage! It’s incredibly forgiving and thrives in a variety of conditions, making it perfect for beginners. It even readily self-seeds, meaning you might get volunteer plants popping up year after year without any extra effort.
• Culinary Versatility: From refreshing drinks to savory dishes, borage adds a unique twist. Its subtle flavor complements a wide range of ingredients, inviting you to experiment and discover new taste sensations.

How to Eat Borage:

• Fresh Flowers in Drinks: Freeze the beautiful blue flowers in ice cubes for a stunning and refreshing addition to summer beverages like lemonade, iced tea, or even a fancy cocktail.
• Salad Garnish and Ingredient: Sprinkle fresh borage flowers over green salads for a burst of color and a subtle cucumber note. Young, tender borage leaves can also be added to salads for a unique flavor.
• Cooked Greens: The young leaves of borage, once cooked, lose their prickly texture and develop a spinach-like consistency with that lovely cucumber undertone. They can be sautéed with garlic and olive oil, added to quiches, or used in soups.
• Borage Tzatziki: Get creative and swap out cucumber for finely chopped blanched borage leaves in your favorite tzatziki recipe. The cucumber flavor of the borage will shine through!
• Herbal Teas: Both the leaves and flowers can be used to make a refreshing herbal tea, often enjoyed for its cooling properties.
• Sandwich Filler: Chop up young borage leaves finely and mix them with cream cheese or butter for a unique sandwich spread.

Growing Borage:

Borage is typically grown as an annual, meaning it completes its life cycle in one growing season. However, it’s a very enthusiastic self-seeder, so once you have it established, you’ll likely find new plants popping up each year, giving it a perennial-like feel!

• Planting: Borage is best sown directly into the garden after all danger of frost has passed. Its roots prefer not to be disturbed too much, so direct sowing is usually more successful than transplanting. Plant the large seeds about 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep. If you’re sowing in rows, aim for about 12 inches between rows. Once your seedlings are a few inches tall, thin them to about 12 inches apart to give them room to grow and flourish. You can sow succession crops every few weeks for a continuous supply of flowers and leaves throughout the growing season.
• Light Requirements: Borage is a sun-lover! It thrives in a spot that receives full sun for most of the day, which means at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight. It can tolerate a bit of light shade, but for the most abundant blooms and healthiest plants, give it that glorious sunshine.
• Soil: Borage isn’t too picky about soil, which is great news for new gardeners! It will do well in most average, well-drained garden soils. It tolerates a wide pH range, from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline, but ideally, it prefers a pH around 6.5. While it can even grow in dry, nutrient-poor soil, enriching your soil with some compost or other organic matter before planting will give your borage a fantastic head start and encourage more vigorous growth. Good drainage is key–borage doesn’t like wet feet!
• Watering: While borage can tolerate some drier spells, it really prefers consistently moist soil to produce those big, beautiful plants and abundant flowers. Water deeply once a week, especially during dry periods. In hot weather or if growing in containers, you might need to water more frequently, possibly even daily in the peak of summer. Just make sure the soil doesn’t become waterlogged, as that can lead to root issues.
• Fertilizing: Borage isn’t a particularly hungry plant and generally doesn’t require a lot of extra feeding, especially if you’ve amended your soil with compost. If your soil is particularly poor or sandy, a light application of a balanced, all-purpose fertilizer in the spring can give your plants a boost. For borage grown in containers, where nutrients can deplete more quickly, a yearly spring feeding with a balanced liquid fertilizer is a good idea.
• Spacing: When thinning your seedlings, aim for about 12 inches between individual plants. Borage can grow quite large and bushy, so giving them enough space will ensure good air circulation and plenty of room for their roots to spread.
• Support: As borage grows taller, especially in windy locations, it can sometimes get a bit floppy. You might find it beneficial to give taller plants a little support with a stake or a small cage to keep them upright and looking their best.

Tips and Tricks:

• Encourage More Blooms: To keep your borage producing those stunning blue flowers for as long as possible, consider deadheading the spent blooms. This means simply pinching or snipping off the faded flowers, which tells the plant to put its energy into producing more new blossoms instead of setting seed.
• Harvesting Young Leaves: The leaves tend to get pricklier as they mature, so if you plan on eating the foliage, harvest the younger, more tender leaves. They have the best texture and flavor.
• Succession Planting: To ensure you have a continuous supply of fresh borage throughout the growing season, consider succession planting. Sow a small batch of seeds every 3-4 weeks from spring into early summer.
• Container Growing: Borage does wonderfully in containers, especially if you have limited garden space. Just be sure to choose a pot that’s at least 12 inches wide to give it enough room to grow. Container-grown borage will generally need more frequent watering than plants in the ground.
• Let it Self-Seed (or Not!): Borage is a pro at self-seeding, which can be a wonderful thing if you want it to pop up in the same area next year without effort. If you don’t want it to self-seed, simply pull up the plants after they’ve finished flowering and before they drop their seeds.
• Companion Planting Superstar: Borage is a fantastic companion plant! It’s particularly beneficial when planted near tomatoes and strawberries, as its ability to attract pollinators can lead to higher yields for these fruits. It also plays well with other herbs like dill, parsley, and thyme, and can even help protect brassicas (like broccoli and cabbage) from certain pests. However, it’s generally best to keep it away from root vegetables like carrots, potatoes, and turnips, as its vigorous root system can compete for nutrients.

Borage Cuisine:

Borage is a culinary chameleon, adding a surprising freshness to a variety of dishes. Its subtle cucumber flavor is truly unique and transforms everyday recipes into something special. It’s particularly popular in European cuisine, especially in the Mediterranean region. Here’s a simple and delightful recipe to get you started:

Borage and Lemon Refresher

This is perfect for a warm day, showcasing the unique flavor and beauty of borage flowers.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh borage flowers (plus extra for garnish)
• 1 cup fresh borage leaves (young, tender ones preferred)
• 4 cups water
• 1/2 cup sugar (or to taste)
• Juice of 2-3 lemons (or to taste)
• Ice cubes

Instructions:

1. Prepare the Borage Infusion: In a medium saucepan, combine the water, borage leaves, and borage flowers. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
2. Steep: Once simmering, remove from heat, cover, and let it steep for about 10-15 minutes. This will allow the flavors to infuse and the vibrant blue color of the flowers to potentially leech into the water (though the color might change to a purplish hue with the lemon!).
3. Strain: Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher, discarding the leaves and flowers.
4. Sweeten and Chill: Add the sugar to the warm borage infusion and stir until dissolved. Add the lemon juice gradually, tasting as you go until you reach your desired level of tartness. The lemon juice will also brighten the flavor.
5. Serve: Chill the borage infusion thoroughly in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, fill glasses with ice cubes, pour in the borage refresher, and garnish with a few fresh borage flowers. Enjoy!

Summary and Conclusion:

There you have it, gardening pals! Borage, with its enchanting blue flowers and subtle cucumber flavor, is truly a star performer in the herb garden. It’s a plant that gives so much, from attracting those wonderful pollinators to lending its unique taste to your culinary creations. Growing borage is an incredibly rewarding experience that even the newest of gardeners can master with ease. So, why not invite this charming, edible thistle into your outdoor space? You’ll love the beauty it brings, the buzz of life it attracts, and the delicious discoveries you’ll make in the kitchen. Happy growing!

Disclaimer: This post is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as health, wellness or nutrition advice. Please see our full disclaimers here.

 

« Back to Glossary Index