Certain plants will always have a place in your heart; I want to take you on a journey through one of my favourites with some facts and photos to illustrate the subject.
The flower in the picture is Borage, or to give it a Latin name Borago officinalis. It is a dainty annual plant with little flowers that grow from giant leaves; the flowers start pink and gradually change to blue over time before dying off.
There are many reasons to plant Borage. Maybe you just like the flowers, perhaps to eat or benefit the bees.
Borage can grow quite large and is self-seeding, so be careful where you put it as in a couple of seasons, it can end up in unusual places. If you like the look of the flowers, I recommend planting them in large pots on decking or patios. Pots raise the flowers so you can see them in your garden and admire the profusion of blue and pink during the flowering season.
As the flowers droop down, the higher you can get them, the more stunning they will look.
Europeans traditionally grew Borage across Europe as a herb. The leaves taste vaguely of Cucumber, and my daughter has been known to graze on the leaves during the hot days of the summer. They are addictively refreshing.
The flowers make for beautiful garnishes either directly dressed on top of salads or frozen in ice cubes to make for enjoyable. There is a coating of slightly prickly hairs on the leaves and flowers and whist an odd sensation on your skin and tongue; it's not harmful. Most hairs will come off if you roll the leaves between your fingers.
Honestly, the bees need some Boragehese days. All pollinating insects love Borage as they produce hundreds of flowers per plant during the growing season, all of which refill in about 2 minutes. So Borage is a constant source of food for bees and insects.
One creative use for Borage is as a companion plant. That is a plant that goes well near another plant; the two exist in symbiosis. Borage works will be planted near taller growing plants as it tends to attract a wide range of insects. This behaviour, in turn, tends to attract tiny parasitic wasps which prey on the pests that destroy your fruit and veggies. So I plant them near my Strawberries.
Borage is cheap and prolific; you may only ever need to buy one pack. It will grow anywhere in Europe and USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 3-10. Just give it plenty of water.
You can buy seeds for about £2-£3 ($3-$4 US), which you can plant from March onwards; the growing season may be shortened depending on the climate if planted after May.
You can sow seeds just below the surface; I simply tilled the soil and then lightly raked the seeds on the surface.
Pick the flowers once they have turned blue and started to wither, then allow them to dry and shake out the seeds.
So that's why I love borage! Inexpensive and easy to grow with benefits for everyone and everything that enjoys your garden. All of the photographs and text are my own taken with my Nikon D5300, Sony A6600 and various lenses from Sigma, Nikkor and Sony.
