Borage (Starflower) Plant

Borage or Borago officinalis is one of the easiest and most beautiful annual plants with edible, star-shaped, bright blue flowers all summer long. The flowers are complete, perfect with five narrow, triangular-pointed petals. Flowers are most often blue, although pink flowers are sometimes observed.  It is in the forget-me-not or Boraginaceae family native to the Mediterranean region boasting bright, blue star shaped flowers. The wrinkled, dull gray-green leaves that are covered with bristly hairs are edible. The stems and tender leaves are edible and taste and smell like cucumber although the leaves lose their flavor when they are dried. Borage flowers are particularly attractive to bees – after a bee has visited a flower it refills with nectar within two minutes, making borage a great pollinator-friendly plant for a small garden.

It’s especially rich in gamma linoleic acid (GLA), which is an omega-6 fatty acid that has been shown to decrease inflammation 

This plant grows at its best in full sun but will not be adversely affected by light shade. It will do well in all types of soil, including nutritionally poor soil. Cut the plant back by a half in mid-summer for new growth for the fall. For propagating, you can grow this plant from seed: the plant is also self-seeding and will remain in your garden year after year.