Borage

(Borago officinalis) 50-60 days.  This culinary and medicinal herb produces a galaxy of sparkling star-shaped blooms that glitter in the most brilliant shade of azure. A dazzling edible flower, each little flower contains a drop of nectar that is sweet with the essence of honey and cucumber. Pollinators, especially honeybees, adore borage blooms, and you will never find the plants without the company of beneficial insects. Add the refreshing blooms to salads, use as garnish, or make a cooling tea. The leaves, which also taste like cucumber, are cooked or made into cooling drinks and teas. Borage is believed to be native to the Mediterranean and has been used medicinally for many centuries. In the first century, Dioscorides said borage could “comfort the heart and purge melancholy.” Indeed, this beautiful, care-free herb brightens our hearts, and much research has been done on the anti-depressant and anti-anxiety qualities of borage seed oil. Warning: This plant is toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. 

• 6-12 hours of Sun
• Sprouts in 7-14 Days
• Ideal Temperature: 60-80 Degrees F
• Seed Depth: 1/4-1/2"
  
• Plant Spacing: 12"
• Frost Hardy: No
  
• Borago officinallis
  

Growing Tips: Direct sow as soon as soil can be worked. Succession plant for longer blooming season. Frequently reseeds itself year after year.

(Borago officinalis Bianca) Annual herb, 50-60 days to bloom. Meet blue borage’s rare, white-flowered sister! The edible alabaster blooms of white borage impart a subtly sweet cucumber flavor and are irresistible to pollinators! This annual herb can be grown in USDA zones 3-9 and reach 2 to 3 feet tall. The young leaves and blooms are edible; leaves are perfect cooked like spinach, and the blossoms make an incredible edible flower for garnish and in beverages like cold tea! Interplant throughout your garden to encourage beneficial insects and entice pollinators to work your other blooms! Warning: This plant is toxic to dogs, cats, and horses.

• 6-12 hours of Sun
• Sprouts in 7-14 Days
• Ideal Temperature: 60-80 Degrees F
• Seed Depth: 1/4-1/2"
  
• Plant Spacing: 12"
• Frost Hardy: No
  
• Borago officinalis bianca
  

Growing Tips: Direct sow as soon as soil can be worked. Succession plant for longer blooming season. Frequently reseeds itself year after year.