Borago officinalis
Common borage, cucumber herb, ox tongue: its rough leaves and iodine-like flavor reminiscent of cucumber have earned it these vivid nicknames. Its bright blue, star-shaped flowers change color as they age, shifting from pink to blue—a signal for pollinators, which can tell which flowers still contain nectar.
Characteristics:
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Blue star-shaped flowers: highly decorative and abundant, they appear successively from May until the first frosts.
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Very easy: an annual that self-seeds so readily that it produces two to three generations in the same year.
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Versatile: edible, culinary, ornamental, and beneficial to bees all at once.
Precautions:
- The leaves are covered with rough hairs that may irritate sensitive skin: wear gloves when picking them if necessary.
- Traditionally, it is consumed occasionally and in moderation, as an accompaniment rather than regularly over an extended period.
Sowing advice:
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Exposure: sunny, essential for abundant flowering; it tolerates light partial shade.
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Soil: deep, cool, humus-rich, and light. It appreciates cultivated soil rich in organic matter, unlike many annual flowers—a little compost will benefit it. Avoid compact, waterlogged soils.
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Method: sow directly in place from April to June, burying the seeds about 1 cm deep: they germinate better in darkness. Its taproot does not tolerate transplanting well, so avoid sowing in pots. Thin to 40 cm apart, as the plant becomes large. See how to sow your seeds.
Care advice:
- Water regularly during dry periods. Stake or pinch back the plant if its brittle stems bend under their own weight.
- It can be grown in pots, containers, or deep planters on balconies and terraces.
Beneficial pairings:
Benefits for biodiversity:
- It is one of the most nectar-rich plants there is: its flowers replenish their nectar within just a few minutes after each visit, making them an inexhaustible food source for bees and bumblebees.
- Its long flowering period, from May until the first frosts, makes it a reliable resource for almost the entire season.
Uses:
- The flowers, with a fresh, slightly sweet flavor, decorate salads, drinks, and desserts—they also freeze beautifully in ice cubes. The young leaves, with a cucumber flavor, are eaten cooked. See our edible flowers.
Harvesting your own seeds:
The black seeds fall very quickly once ripe: watch the faded flowers and shake the stems over a bag, or simply let nature take its course, as borage generously self-seeds from one season to the next. See how to save your seeds.
Commitment to Quality: at SemiSauvage - Permaculture, we grow and select our seeds with respect for all living things as our guiding principle. Based near the Auvergne Volcanoes, we choose open-pollinated, non-hybrid varieties, tested for their germination rate, carefully sorted and packaged, with no chemical treatment. Our belief: to give gardeners back the ability to resow, year after year, seeds that truly belong to them.
Enrich your garden with the beauty and versatility of common borage.
