Borage – a beautiful, useful herb with cucumber-scented leaves
What characterises borage
Borage (Borago officinalis) is an easy but sometimes temperamental annual herb that earns its place in both garden and kitchen. It is recognised by its intense blue, star-shaped flowers and its lush, slightly hairy leaves, which smell and taste faintly of cucumber. It is popular with pollinators and works very well as a companion plant in the vegetable garden.
Background and name
Borage comes from the Mediterranean region and has been grown for hundreds of years as a culinary and medicinal herb. The Latin name Borago officinalis comes from the Latin borra, meaning ”hair”, a reference to the plant’s bristly leaves. The common English name is ”borage”.
Appearance and growth habit
The plant grows vigorously and can reach up to 70 cm. It forms several stems, with small leaves along the stem and larger ones at the base. The characteristic blue flowers hang in clusters and attract bees, bumblebees and butterflies, which makes borage a good choice in a flower meadow or as a border around the vegetable patch. There are also varieties with white flowers.
Flavour and uses of borage
Both leaves and flowers are edible. The leaves have a mild, cucumber-like flavour that suits salads, cold sauces, drinks and herb butter. The flowers are often used as edible decoration on cakes, in drinks or frozen into ice cubes. Borage is also said to have mild calming properties and has traditionally been used in herbal medicine.
Ways to use borage
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Put fresh leaves in a water jug for a fresh taste of cucumber.
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Use the flowers as a splash of colour in salads or on top of a summer cake.
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Chop the leaves and mix with crème fraîche for a fresh sauce to serve alongside.
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Dry the leaves and use them in herbal teas with other calming herbs such as lemon balm.
Growing tips for borage
Growing borage can be both easy and frustrating. It is a fast-growing plant, but the seeds can be a little stubborn to germinate. Here is how to succeed:
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Sowing: Start the seeds indoors in April, or sow directly outdoors in May once the soil has warmed up. The seeds need light to germinate, so cover them only lightly with soil or vermiculite.
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Tips for better germination: Borage seeds sometimes need a cold snap to wake up. You can imitate this by putting the seeds (or the sown pot) somewhere cold, for example in the fridge or outdoors, for a few nights before sowing. Some growers find that germination improves after the seeds have been through a couple of frosty nights.
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Germination: It can take a while, sometimes up to 2 weeks. Keep the soil moist but not wet. Sow in several batches to be safe.
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Planting: Put the plants in a sunny to partly shaded spot. Borage does best in rich, well-drained soil.
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Care: It tolerates drought fairly well but flowers best if you water evenly. Remove faded flowers to prolong flowering.
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Self-seeding: If you leave a few plants, it can spread by itself to next year.
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Tip: Plant it where you have no delicate neighbours, as borage grows large and can take over!
Borage is a beautiful and useful plant with more uses than you might first think, from bee magnet to edible decoration. A good fit for both herb garden and flower bed.
