Borago

( BORE - uh - go )

At-A-Glance Information

This genus of herbaceous flowering plants is native to the Mediterranean, and one species, Borago officinalis, is cultivated and naturalized around the globe. The entire plant smells of cucumber, and has downy leaves, stems, and flowers. Star-shaped blooms are typically blue, though they can range in color. Flowers are highly attractive to pollinators, especially bees, due to their sweet honey scent.

Borago Species and Varietals

The genus Borago is the type genus member of the plant family Boraginaceae, and includes five species, only one of which is commonly cultivated in gardens. Borago plants can grow in any zone. To find your zone, click here: Zone Map.

Borago officinalis (Starflower, Borage)
This species is native to the Mediterranean and forms a bristly plant with blue flowers (sometimes pink or white). Flowers bloom from June through September. It is cultivated as an oilseed, and can also be used as a fresh vegetable or dried herb. Leaves have a cucumber-like taste, and flowers taste of honey. Choice garden varieties include 'Variegata' (with white mottling on leaves) and 'Alba' (with white flowers).

Caring for Borago

These annual plants are considered to be easy to grow, and typically are best planted in early springtime after the threat of frost has passed. Seeds can be started between three and four weeks before the last frost, and then seedlings can be transplanted outside once the soil has warmed. Borage plants prefer to be planted in a spot that receives full sun to partial shade (between 4 and 6 hours each day is ideal). Flowers and foliage will be at their most beautiful in full sun. They can be planted in the ground or in containers, but in either situation do need to have well-draining soil. Soil acidity should be between 4.5 and 8.5 (6.5 is best). These plants can thrive in poor soils that are overly dry, but they prefer to have their roots in moderately moist soils. If local soils are particularly poor, make sure to amend the planting site with plenty of organic material or compost before planting to give plants a good start at growth. These plants self-pollinate and attract bees and other pollinators to the garden. They are also known to self-seed, so if this is not a feature you'd like to use, make sure to remove spent flowering heads before they drop their seeds.
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Harvesting Borage
Borage leaves, flowers, and seeds are edible and can be harvested from plants. Borage typically reaches maturity around eight weeks in the ground. At this time, leaves and flowers can be harvested by simply picking them off the plant or using clean, sharp, garden shears or snips to remove them. They are best used fresh, but can also be stored in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator for a few days if needed. Additionally, Borage seeds can be harvested and processed for their oil, which is helpful for itchy skin disorders.

Propagation

Borago plants can be propagated either by using cuttings or from seed. To ensure that your propagated plant will have the exact same qualities and characteristics as the parent plant, use the cutting method. If you would like to experiment and see what plant you can grow from seed, just keep in mind that it will not necessarily be the same as the parent plant. To propagate your Borage, follow the instructions below:

Propagating Borago by Cutting
  1. Gather your materials. You'll need a clean, sanitized, sharp pair of garden shears, rooting hormone, a pencil, and a 3-inch pot filled with well-draining compost or other organic material. If you don't have any potting medium on hand, you can make some. Just mix together equal parts (by volume) moss peat and horticultural-grade sand or grit sand.
  2. In spring or early summertime, choose the plant that you'd like to propagate. Ensure that this plant has had a good watering the night before, as this will improve the chances your cutting will take root. Cut one or more 6 inch portion(s) of the end of a non-blooming branch and strip the leaves off of the lower half. Make a hole in your planting medium by pushing your pencil into the soil. Dip the end of the stem in rooting hormone, and plant it in your pot. Fill in soil around the cutting to support it, but do not pack it down too much.
  3. Moisten with water, and ensure that the pot has good drainage. Your pot should be kept in warm, sunny conditions indoors (and not in direct sunlight). Water whenever your soil is dry under the top layer. After about four to six weeks have passed, your cutting should be rooted. When you notice new growth, you'll know you have roots. 
  4. Keep your new plant in an area with bright light (though not direct sunlight) and temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that the soil stays moist, but not wet, until the next spring, when you can transplant it to its new home. Ensure that the last frost of the year has occurred before doing this, as it can seriously damage your new shrub.

Propagating Borago by Seed
  1. Keep in mind that the plant you get from seed will not necessarily mimic all of the characteristics of the parent plant. To propagate by seed, you will need a paper bag, a pot or tray filled with well-draining compost or other organic material, a spray bottle and a fork. If you don't have any potting medium on hand, you can make some. Just mix together equal parts (by volume) moss peat and horticultural-grade sand or grit sand. You will also, after a few weeks, need individual 3-inch pots for each seedling that grows. 
  2. Water your prepared seed tray or pot filled with soil, and ensure that good drainage is occurring. Place your seeds in your prepared pot or seed tray about a quarter inch to a half-inch under the soil surface. Cover them with soil and water with your spray bottle. Place your tray of seeds in a warm area that receives bright, indirect light. A greenhouse is the most ideal climate, but a planting tray inside a window will do as well. Germination usually takes 7-14 days from sowing. Once you begin to see seedlings sprout and they are able to be handled, transplant them to their own individual 3-inch pots, filled with the same potting medium as described in Step 1. Loosen the seedlings from the potting medium by digging down with the tines of your fork about an inch and a half, gently working the seedling up until it is out. Then, replant the seedling in its individual pot.
  3. Keep the seedling's potting medium moist, but not wet, by spraying the soil with your spray bottle. Keep your new plant in an area with bright light (though not direct sunlight) and temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that the soil stays moist, but not wet, until the next spring (after the danger of frost has passed), when you can transplant it to its new home.
Borago seed pods.
Borago seeds are small and black.

Problems and Pests

Borage plants are typically pest and disease free. From time to time, they can have some issues with:
  • Aphids
  • Slugs and Snails
  • Leaf Miners
  • Powdery Mildew
For more information on these problems, including how to correct them, see the following links.
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Gallery

Borage plants are at home in vegetable gardens; they add trace minerals to soil they are planted in, and are great for composting.
Borago can be grown in the ground or in containers.
Borage seed oil is great as a topical treatment for itchy skin.

Videos

A guide to growing Borage.
Tips for growing Borage plants successfully.

Resources

Planting Borage: Ultimate Growing Guide for Sublime Starflowers
Borage: Uses, Benefits, and Companion Planting
How to Grow and Care for Borage
Wikipedia: Borago
If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or photos you’d like to add to the gallery, please let me know by sending me a message using the button below!
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