General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Herb/Forb
Life cycle: Annual
Sun Requirements: Full Sun
Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Preferences: Mesic
Dry Mesic
Dry
Plant Height: 20 to 40 inches (50-100 cm)
Plant Spread: 16 to 28 inches (40-70 cm)
Leaves: Fragrant
Other: can irritate skin
Flowers: Showy
Fragrant
Other: edible, used in ice cubes
Flower Color: Blue
Pink
White
Bloom Size: Under 1"
Flower Time: Late spring or early summer
Summer
Late summer or early fall
Fall
Late fall or early winter
Uses: Culinary Herb
Medicinal Herb
Will Naturalize
Edible Parts: Flowers
Dynamic Accumulator: K (Potassium)
Si (Silicon)
Wildlife Attractant: Bees
Resistances: Drought tolerant
Propagation: Seeds: Provide darkness
Depth to plant seed: max. 1 cm
Suitable for wintersowing
Sow in situ
Pollinators: Bumblebees
Bees
Miscellaneous: Tolerates poor soil

Image
Common names
  • Borage
  • Starflower

Photo Gallery
Location: Illinois, US
Date: 2017-06-13
Location: In my residential garden in Oklahoma City
Date: 05-30-2018
Borage (Borago officinalis) 002
Location: my garden, Gent, Belgium
Date: 30th April 2008
Location: My Garden, Utah
Date: 2015-10-06
#Pollination
Location: Cedarhome, Washington
Date: 2009-08-12
#Pollination
Location: My Northeastern Indiana Gardens - Zone 5
Date: 2011-10-18
Close-up of newly opened pink bloom.
Location: Maine
Date: 2021
Location: Orange County, California
Location: my garden, Utah
Date: 2015-07-21
Location: Local farm 
Date: June 15 2022
Grown in raised bed
Location: Maine
Location: Northeastern, Texas
Date: 2019-04-04

Photo by Hans Bernhard (Schnobby)
Location: Northeastern, Texas
Date: 2019-03-25
Location: In my residential garden in Oklahoma City
Date: 06-01-2017
Borage (Borago officinalis) 004
Location: Oxfordshire, England
Date: 2021-06-29
Attracts beneficial insects; edible flowers look great on salads
Location: Silver Spring, MD
Date: 2014-06-29
Location: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada - near Lake Ontario, zone 6a
Date: 2010 spring
Location: Killeen,Tx
Date: 2022-05-25
Location: Vista, CA
Date: March
Photo by Calif_Sue
Location: Maine
Date: 2022-07-17
Backside view

Credit florum
Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: 2015-07-24
Thanks Chelle for the seedlings!
Location: La Crescenta, CA
Date: 2017-05-24
Location: Wynyard Hall garden, UK
Date: 2022-07-01
In the kitchen garden

Courtesy Sustainable Seed Company
  • Uploaded by vic
Location: Illinois, US
Date: 2017-06-27
Blue and pink flowers on same stem.
Location: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada - near Lake Ontario, zone 6a
Date: 2013-06-30
Location: Temple, Texas
Date: July 6, 2021
1st bloom clusters emerging on 5 wk old seedlings
Location: Aquitania (France)
Date: 2012-06-04
Location: Orange County, California
Date: 2023-03-04
Location: Northeastern, Texas
Date: 2012-06-02
Location: Northeastern, Texas
Date: 2020-04-25

Date: 2013-08-04
Location: Maine
Date: 2022-07-17
Location: my garden, Gent, Belgium
Date: 1st July 2010
Location: Ocean Springs, Ms.
Date: 2018-05-15
Location: In my garden in Kalama, Wa.
Date: Early Summer
  • Uploaded by Joy
Location: Denver, Colorado
Date: June
Beautiful blue flowers appear to always turn away from the sun. T
Location: Denver, Colorado
Date: June
As the sun descends, the tiny hairs on this herb almost glow with
Location: Northeastern, Texas
Date: 2012-06-02
arial view
Location: Orange County, California
Date: 2021-03-29
Borago officinalis
Location: Temple, Texas
Date: 2021-07-14
1st blooms appeared on 5 wk. old plants from seed.
Photo by kylaluaz
Location: Sherwood Oregon 
Date: 2016-07-26
Photo by Patti1957

Date: 2020-04-28
Location: My garden
Date: 2020-06-20
Location: My Northeastern Indiana Gardens - Zone 5b
Date: 2012-08-27
Intermingled with squash plants.
Location: My Garden, Utah
Date: 2015-10-06
Location: Illinois, US
Date: 2014-07-06
Always gets tall and floppy and needs support.
Location: Temple, Texas
Date: 2021-07-03
1 mo. seedlings 12" tall & ready to plant out.
Location: In my residential garden in Oklahoma City
Date: July, 2005
Borage (Borago officinalis) 006
Location: California
Date: May
credit: Jengod
Location: My Northeastern Indiana Gardens - Zone 5b
Date: Sep 28, 2011 1:19 PM
Location: My Northeastern Indiana Gardens - Zone 5b
Date: Sep 28, 2011 1:19 PM
Location: KALAMA WA
  • Uploaded by Joy
Photo by purpleinopp
Location: zone 8 Lake City, Fl.
Date: 2015-04-17
on my property - direct sown
Location: Jacksonville, TX
Date: 2013-06-11

Date: 2008-02-29
Location: IL
Date: 2014-07-06
Photo by Patti1957
Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: 2015-07-21
First year plants. Seedlings from Chelle! Taken in the morning.

Credit florum
Location: Kyle
Date: 2020-03-18
a returning favorite
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Date: 2020-10-29
Borage photo collage (Borago officinalis)
Location: Wynyard Hall garden, UK
Date: 2022-07-01
In the kitchen garden
Location: My garden
Date: 2020-06-20
Location: Indiana zone 5
Date: 2015-06-15
Location: my garden 
Date: 2017-05-15
Location: My Garden, Utah
Date: 2015-10-06
Location: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada - near Lake Ontario, zone 6a
Date: 2013-06-23
Location: RHS Harlow Carr, Yorkshire, UK
Date: 2020-06-27
Location: My garden in N E Pa. 
Date: 2014-06-07
Location: In my residential garden in Oklahoma City
Date: 06-01-2017
Borage (Borago officinalis) 003
Location: Aquitania (France)
Date: 2012-06-04
Location: Aquitania (France)
Date: 2012-06-04
Location: Aquitania (France)
Date: 2012-06-04

Courtesy Seeds of Victoria
  • Uploaded by vic
Location: my garden in Dawsonville, GA (zone 7b north Geogia mountains)
Date: 2022-04-12
Photo by Anderwood
Location: My Northeastern Indiana Garden
Date: Summer
Location: My Cincinnati Ohio garden
Date: July 3, 2014
Borage growing near tomatoes
Location: San Antonio Botanical Garden, San Antonio, Texas
Date: 2022-04-04

Date: 2011-11-02
Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: 2015-07-21
First year plants. Seedlings from Chelle! Taken in the morning.
Location: My Northeastern Indiana Gardens - Zone 5b
Date: 2012-07-07
Location: My Northeastern Indiana Gardens - Zone 5b
Date: 2011-10-25
Location: La Crescenta, CA
Date: 2017-04-28

Date: 2015-05-30
Location: Brownstown Pennsylvania
Date: 2016-06-18
Location: Northeastern, Texas
Date: 2018-03-31
cotyledons
Location: Aquitania (France)
Date: 2012-06-04
Location: In my residential garden in Oklahoma City
Date: June, 2004
Borage (Borago officinalis) 005

 Photo Courtesy of Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. Used with permissi
  • Uploaded by Joy
Photo by Bonehead
Location: KALAMA WA
  • Uploaded by Joy
Location: Vista, CA
Date: June

Date: 2016-08-08
Location: Metro Detroit
Date: 2013-06-24
Location: WPA Rock Garden, Sacramento CA.
Date: 2016-02-15
Zone 9b. Record high temps in Feb with honeybees out in abundance

Photo courtesy of Annie's Annuals and Perennials
  • Uploaded by Joy

Photo courtesy of Annie's Annuals and Perennials
  • Uploaded by Joy
Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: 2015-07-21
First year plants. Seedlings from Chelle! Taken in the morning.
Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: 2015-07-21
First year plants. Seedlings from Chelle! Taken in the evening.

Date: 2013-11-04
Location: Aguanga, California
Date: 2013-11-04

Credit florum
Location: my garden 
Date: 2016-04-25
Location: my garden 
Date: 2016-04-25
Location: my garden 
Date: 2016-04-25

Courtesy Sustainable Seed Company
  • Uploaded by vic
Location: Chicago, IL
Date: 2012-06-05 
I love these electric blue blooms almost as much as the bees love
Location: In my residential garden in Oklahoma City
Date: 05-22-2018
Borage (Borago officinalis) 001
Location: Aquitania (France)
Date: 2012-06-04
Location: Aquitania (France)
Date: 2012-06-04
Photo by Anderwood
Location: Cambridge University Botanic Garden
Date: June
credit: Magnus Manske
This plant is tagged in:
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Comments:
  • Posted by Mindy03 (Delta KY) on Mar 25, 2012 4:18 PM concerning plant:
    Valuable source of nectar and pollen for honey bees. Honey produced from this nectar is light amber in color.
  • Posted by Catmint20906 (PNW WA half hour south of Olympia - Zone 8a) on Aug 23, 2014 6:54 AM concerning plant:
    Borage (Borago officinalis) is a larval host plant for the Painted Lady Butterfly. A native of the Mediterranean, its leaves are cultivated for borage seed oil, which has a variety of medicinal uses.

    In addition to attracting bees to the garden, Borage is a larval host plant for lacewings, a beneficial insect that feeds on aphids, mealybugs, thrips, small caterpillars, mites, moth eggs, and some scales.

    Besides lacewings, Borage attracts other beneficial insects to the garden, including spiders, damsel bugs, ground beetles, and parasitoid wasps. These beneficial insects consume many garden pests, such as leafhoppers, treehoppers, armyworms, codling moths, European corn borer, flies, gypsy moths, cabbageworms, asparagus beetles, Colorado potato beetles, cutworms, squash vine borers, tobacco budworms, and many other small caterpillars.

    Borage also reportedly helps to repel tomato worms.

    Its ability to attract beneficial insects makes Borage an excellent companion plant in the garden.
  • Posted by Ispahan (Chicago - Zone 6a) on Jun 30, 2012 8:03 PM concerning plant:
    One of my favorite plants to grow for bees and other pollinators. I love the fuzzy foliage and intense blue of the flowers. I hope this plant reseeds for years to come.
  • Posted by Bonehead (Planet Earth - Zone 8b) on Sep 29, 2013 11:43 AM concerning plant:
    Beautiful true blue flower, bee magnet. Self-sows freely. Dip blossoms in egg white then sugar and let dry, very pretty for cake decorations.
  • Posted by SongofJoy (Clarksville, TN - Zone 6b) on Dec 17, 2012 8:05 AM concerning plant:
    An added advantage of planting borage is that Painted Lady Butterfly (Vanessa cardui) caterpillars love it.
  • Posted by RavenCroft (Central NY - Zone 5a) on Jan 20, 2014 5:57 PM concerning plant:
    While many tout the bee attracting blooms of Borage, the leaves are tasty to humans, & wonderful in salads. They have a cucumber taste to them. I love the vivid blue color of the flowers, & I also love to see where it will pop up next. Borage is a free roamer here. :-)
  • Posted by canadanna (North Texas - Zone 8a) on Apr 29, 2012 11:34 AM concerning plant:
    It is supposed to go well with tomatoes.
  • Posted by zuzu (Northern California - Zone 9a) on Feb 7, 2014 7:07 PM concerning plant:
    Borage reseeds so generously that it comes up reliably in every part of my garden. Fortunately, it's easy to pull out of the spots where it isn't desired. It serves as a veritable magnet for the bees, and I appreciate and make good use of this feature, allowing it to grow undisturbed at some distance away from my fussier plants, which I can then tend to my heart's content without disturbing any bees.
  • Posted by CaliforniaPeach (Orange County, California, USA - Zone 10a) on Mar 3, 2023 3:00 PM concerning plant:
    One of my favorite flowers for bees! It does wonders in the veg garden and just keeps blooming.
Plant Events from our members
piksihk On May 1, 2020 Seeds germinated
seedlings
piksihk On March 19, 2020 Seeds sown
HW butterfly bed
piksihk On May 15, 2017 Bloomed
piksihk On March 1, 2017 Plant emerged
several seedlings/self-sowed
piksihk On June 6, 2016 Plant Ended (Removed, Died, Discarded, etc)
two got root rot - too much rain!!!
piksihk On April 18, 2016 Bloomed
Westgate one is blooming
piksihk On March 26, 2016 Transplanted
2 plants HW; 1 at WG
piksihk On March 12, 2016 Obtained plant
3 plants-
piksihk On November 7, 2015 Plant Ended (Removed, Died, Discarded, etc)
piksihk On April 15, 2015 Seeds sown
wet towel & baggie
piksihk On February 1, 2015 Seeds germinated
piksihk On January 17, 2015 Seeds sown
piksihk On January 7, 2015 Obtained plant
Catmint20906 On June 20, 2015 Bloomed
Catmint20906 On May 31, 2015 Seeds sown
vbprog On April 19, 2015 Transplanted
To a bigger pot.
vbprog On April 9, 2015 Plant emerged
vbprog On April 2, 2015 Seeds sown
lovesblooms On February 24, 2018 Seeds sown
winter sown
lovesblooms On March 18, 2016 Seeds germinated
lovesblooms On March 7, 2016 Seeds sown
winter sown
lovesblooms On January 29, 2015 Seeds sown
winter sown
flaflwrgrl On April 15, 2015 Seeds germinated
At least the ones down by the gate germinated. Haven't looked at the others today.
flaflwrgrl On March 27, 2015 Seeds sown
Direct sown.
flaflwrgrl On March 27, 2015 Seeds sown
Direct sown.
thomas From February 20, 2017 to March 31, 2017 Bloomed
thomas On March 19, 2016 Transplanted
thomas From February 15, 2016 to February 19, 2016 Seeds germinated
container seeds sprouted first
thomas From February 6, 2016 to February 7, 2016 Seeds sown
Both in containers and in the ground.
LizDTM On September 25, 2017 Seeds sown
AtaMaj On April 7, 2020 Seeds sown
directly to the ground in each meadow section
AtaMaj On March 12, 2020 Seeds sown
w szklarni
dnrevel On May 29, 2021 Transplanted
Planted 2nd group of seedlings at Project Grow, cutting garden.
dnrevel On May 9, 2021 Transplanted
Planted at Project Grow, cutting garden.
dnrevel On April 2, 2021 Plant emerged
Sprouted in cold frame, DT window box and in individual pots
dnrevel On March 24, 2021 Obtained plant
Planted seeds in DT window boxes and pots. Seed from Livingston (Ace Barnes Hardware) 2021.
dnrevel On October 19, 2020 Obtained plant
Saved from being plowed under, from community garden. Planting in backyard for the winter
antsinmypants On May 24, 2021 Transplanted
One into Garden two
antsinmypants On May 20, 2021 Transplanted
One into garden one
antsinmypants On May 15, 2021 Obtained plant
2021 Chicagoland Annual Plant Swap
MrsBinWY On June 27, 2020 Transplanted
1 near Shasta Daisies; 1 in annual bed; 1 in waterline north bed -- none appear to have made offspring for 2021
pinetastic On July 3, 2023 Bloomed
pinetastic On June 3, 2023 Seeds sown
» Post your own event for this plant

Discussion Threads about this plant
Thread Title Last Reply Replies
'Borage & the Bee'...... by wcgypsy Jun 6, 2013 7:16 AM 0
Yay! by chelle Jul 25, 2015 6:37 PM 1

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