Borage Seeds (Starflower)

Borago officinalis is a Hardy Annual, meaning it completes its life cycle in one year but is tough enough to tolerate cool temperatures and can be sown in early spring or even autumn in mild areas. However, borage is such a generous self-seeder that once you've grown it once, you'll likely have volunteer seedlings appearing year after year—making it behave almost like a perennial without the effort!

The "Starflower" Name - A Genuinely Special Flower: Borage is commonly known as "starflower" because of its distinctive five-petaled, star-shaped flowers. What makes them truly special is the colour: a vibrant, true sky-blue that's genuinely rare in the plant world! Most "blue" flowers are actually purple or violet, but borage produces authentic, brilliant blue blooms (occasionally with pink-tinged flowers appearing—both blue and pink flowers can occur on the same plant, which is lovely!). Each flower hangs downward in graceful nodding clusters, revealing a prominent black cone of anthers in the centre (called the "beauty mark"). The flowers measure approximately 2-2.5cm across and appear in abundance from early summer right through to first frosts.

The Cucumber Flavour Connection: Both the flowers and young leaves taste remarkably like cucumber—this isn't imagination or wishful thinking! Borage contains a chemical compound called "cucumber aldehyde" which gives it that authentic fresh cucumber flavour. Young, tender leaves (before they become too hairy) can be chopped finely and added to salads, yoghurt dips, sandwiches, or made into refreshing borage tea. The flowers have a sweet, honey-like undertone with that subtle cucumber note and make stunning edible garnishes—float them in Pimm's, lemonade, gin and tonics, freeze them in ice cubes for dramatic effect, scatter them over salads, or use them to decorate cakes and desserts. They're a favourite for adding to summer drinks because they're not just pretty—they genuinely add flavour!

The Bee Magnet Effect: Borage is often called "bee bread" or "bee bush" because it's one of the most attractive plants to honeybees, bumblebees, and other pollinators. The flowers produce absolutely copious amounts of nectar (unusually high for an annual herb!), and bees can often be seen working the flowers non-stop from dawn to dusk. Beekeepers value borage highly because bees that feed on borage flowers produce some of the finest, most delicate-flavoured honey. For gardeners, this makes borage invaluable for improving pollination of nearby vegetables—plant it near tomatoes, courgettes, beans, strawberries, or fruit trees and watch your yields increase dramatically as bees visit your crops!

Plant Size & Appearance: Borage grows 50-90cm tall (typically around 60-75cm in most gardens) with a bushy, somewhat sprawling habit and a spread of 30-40cm. The stems are hollow, succulent, and covered with bristly white hairs. The leaves are large (5-15cm long), oval-shaped, wrinkled, dull grey-green, and completely covered with rough, prickly hairs—this is the plant's natural defence against browsing animals! The foliage isn't particularly attractive (it's definitely the flowers that are the stars!), but the sheer volume of gorgeous blue blooms more than compensates. Plants can become quite substantial and bushy, so give them adequate spacing.

Historical & Medicinal Uses: Borage has been used medicinally since ancient times. The Romans and Greeks valued it for lifting spirits (the old saying went "I, Borage, bring always joys"), and it was traditionally used to promote courage, reduce melancholy, and support respiratory health. Francis Bacon wrote that borage had "an excellent spirit to repress the fuliginous vapour of dusky melancholie"! Modern herbalists value borage seed oil (also called starflower oil) as one of the richest natural sources of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), an omega-6 fatty acid with anti-inflammatory properties often used in skincare and wellness supplements. However, please note: borage contains small amounts of pyrrolizidine alkaloids which can affect the liver if consumed in large quantities over extended periods, so enjoy it as an occasional culinary herb rather than consuming large amounts regularly.

Borage is one of the easiest herbs to grow—genuinely foolproof! It's almost weed-like in its adaptability and vigour, making it perfect for beginners and children.

How to Sow:
Borage is best sown directly where it's to grow because it develops a long taproot and dislikes transplanting. Sow outdoors from April to June (after last frost) or in early autumn (September) in mild areas. The seeds are large and easy to handle. Sow seeds 1-2cm deep, spacing them 30-40cm apart, or sow thinly in shallow drills and thin seedlings later to 30cm apart. Cover lightly with soil and water well. Alternatively, if you want an earlier start, sow indoors in modules 4-6 weeks before last frost, but transplant seedlings while still very young (before the taproot develops) to minimise root disturbance. Germination temperature: 18-23°C. Germination typically takes 7-14 days.

Where to Sow:
Borage demands full sun for best performance (it will tolerate very light shade but flowering will be reduced). It's remarkably unfussy about soil and will grow in almost any soil type, including poor, dry, stony ground where many plants struggle. In fact, borage often performs better in average to poor soil rather than very rich soil (which can cause excessive leafy growth at the expense of flowers). Ensure good drainage—borage hates waterlogged conditions, especially in winter.

Watering & Care:
Young seedlings need consistent moisture until established, so water every few days during dry spells for the first 4-6 weeks. Once established with a full root system (after about 6-8 weeks), borage is remarkably drought-tolerant thanks to its deep taproot. Allow soil to dry out between waterings, then water deeply. Mature plants can survive brief dry periods, though leaf and flower production is best with regular moisture. DO NOT feed borage—it thrives on neglect and doesn't need fertiliser! Excessive feeding produces lush foliage but fewer flowers.

Support & Management:
Despite growing quite tall (60-90cm), borage is usually self-supporting and doesn't need staking in most gardens. However, in very windy or exposed positions, plants can become somewhat floppy or top-heavy, especially after heavy rain when the foliage holds water. In such situations, you can provide light support with a few canes or grow-through netting installed when plants are young. For tidier appearance, you can also pinch out growing tips when plants are 15-20cm tall to encourage bushier, more compact growth.

Harvesting Flowers & Leaves:
Harvest young, tender leaves before they become too hairy (the youngest leaves at the growing tips are best—older leaves become coarse and unpalatable). For flowers, pick them in the morning when they're fresh, just after they've fully opened. To harvest flowers for eating, gently bend the arching flower stems back to reveal the flower, then pinch where the black anthers meet and pull away from the stem to separate the edible blue petals from the hairy green sepals. Regular harvesting of flowers encourages more blooms!

Self-Seeding & Management:
Borage is a prolific self-seeder! This is brilliant if you want it to return year after year, but it can become slightly invasive if not managed. The plant produces hundreds of seeds per flower head, and these drop everywhere, germinating readily the following spring. If you want borage to self-seed: simply let flowers go to seed naturally and allow seed heads to dry and drop. If you DON'T want seedlings everywhere: deadhead spent flowers before seeds form, or cut seed heads off before they turn brown and scatter seed. Volunteer seedlings are easy to pull out or transplant if they appear in unwanted locations.

Pests & Diseases:
Borage is remarkably pest and disease-free! The bristly hairs deter most browsing animals (deer, rabbits) and slugs rarely bother it. Occasionally aphids may appear on young growth, but beneficial insects (hoverflies, ladybirds) that are attracted to the flowers usually keep aphid populations in check naturally. No significant disease problems.

Borage is a fantastic companion plant for vegetable gardens and makes beautiful combinations with other cottage garden favourites! All companion plants listed below are available from Bishy Barnabees!

• 🌼 Calendula 'Touch of Red': The classic edible potager combination! Plant borage alongside calendula for a stunning and useful pairing. Both are completely edible (flowers and young leaves), both attract beneficial insects in droves (calendula brings hoverflies, borage brings bees), and both act as natural "bodyguards" for your vegetables—particularly beans and tomatoes—by attracting pollinators to improve fruit set and attracting beneficial predators that eat pests. The colour combination is gorgeous: borage's vivid sky-blue flowers contrasting with calendula's warm orange, apricot, and mahogany tones. Both are easy-to-grow hardy annuals that self-seed readily, both flower prolifically from early summer through autumn, and both thrive in similar conditions (full sun, well-drained soil, minimal feeding). Plant them together in vegetable garden borders, potager-style plantings, or cottage garden herb beds. The combination is not just beautiful—it's genuinely functional, improving your entire garden ecosystem!
• 🧡 Nasturtium 'Tom Thumb': The triple-threat companion planting dream team! Like borage, nasturtiums are completely edible, brilliant for attracting pollinators, and incredibly useful as a "trap crop" to lure pests away from vegetables. Plant borage (60-75cm tall, upright and bushy) behind dwarf nasturtiums (20-30cm tall, compact mounds) for perfect height layering. The colour palette is spectacular: borage's brilliant blue contrasted with nasturtium's fiery oranges, scarlets, and yellows creates that classic hot-and-cool cottage garden combination. Both thrive in poor to average soil (in fact, both actively dislike rich soil!), both are drought-tolerant once established, and both are ridiculously easy to grow. In vegetable gardens, this combination is particularly valuable around beans, courgettes, tomatoes, and strawberries where they work together to attract pollinators, repel pests, and provide edible flowers and leaves for salads and garnishes. BONUS: Both produce large, easy-to-handle seeds perfect for children's gardens!
• 🌸 Cosmos 'Sensation Mixed': For a cottage garden flower border (rather than vegetable companion planting), combine borage with tall cosmos for a romantic, pollinator-friendly display. The borage's solid, bushy structure (60-75cm) provides mid-border substance whilst the cosmos (90-120cm) creates height at the back with its airy, see-through foliage and delicate blooms. The blue starflowers of borage look absolutely stunning paired with cosmos in pinks, whites, and crimsons—the colour combination is fresh, summery, and quintessentially cottage garden! Both are annuals that flower prolifically from summer through autumn, both are beloved by pollinators (RHS Plants for Pollinators!), and both make excellent cut flowers. Plant cosmos behind borage in generous drifts for maximum impact.

Sow outdoors April-June (or early autumn in mild areas). Flowers June-October.