Borage is one of the most beautiful and beneficial flowers for a Coastal Bend garden. It’s incredibly easy to grow, gorgeous and drought-tolerant. Plus, borage is edible and quite delicious, making it an excellent choice for attracting bees. The star-shaped blue flowers, a rare color in a Coastal Bend summer garden, ensure your space will be buzzing with bees, butterflies and other essential pollinators.
With a deep taproot, established borage is difficult to transplant, though the same feature does allow for the plant to be extremely drought-tolerant.
Borage offers edible leaves and flowers. The leaves, especially when young, have a pleasant cucumber flavor and can be used in herbal tea blends or brewed on their own. To preserve borage leaves for later use, dry the stems by hanging them upside down over paper in a cool, dark place.
The flowers are a true delicacy. A sweet, fruity taste makes for a delightful addition to salads, as a garnish or in cocktails. Flowers can even be frozen into ice cubes or dried and stored separately from the leaves.
Borage is a versatile plant, bringing fascinating flair to flower bouquets or serving as a great potted accent. When kept indoors, place potted borage in a sunny window. Outdoor borage plants thrive with plenty of afternoon shade during the summer months.
Gardener’s Notes
Growing Up: Spacing, 18”. Height, 18” to 24”. Easy to grow. Fast-growing. Plant from seed or transplant in full sun. Appreciates evening shade in late summer. Does well in all soils but must be very well-drained. Add several inches of organic compost and two cups of pastured poultry manure per plant at planting. Water regularly until established; do not overwater and plant near other drought-tolerant plants. Mulch with native leaves, especially in summer. No pests.
Profiling: Borage is the best plant for attracting bees and other pollinators to the garden. Harvest flowers often, or the plants become floppy. Clip stems at base; no more than 1/3 at a time. Plant borage near basil, oregano, thyme and sage. Borage also pairs well with marigolds, cosmos and sunflowers. These herbs and flowers have similar sun, water and soil requirements.
Fun Facts: Borage is the herb that brings joy to the heart and courage to the soul. This tradition of borage as a joyful elixir dates back at least to the Roman Pliny the Elder. In The Odyssey, Helen puts the drug nepenthe—which had borage as its secret ingredient—into her wine to banish grief and “make one forget all sorrows.” Helen, object of the Trojan War, had much grief to forget.
