Growing Borage, also Burrage, Bugloss

Borago officinalis : Boraginaceae / the borage family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
              S S S    
                T T T  
                P P P  

(Best months for growing Borage in Australia - sub-tropical regions)

  • S = Plant undercover in seed trays
  • T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings
  • P = Sow seed
  • Easy to grow. Sow in garden. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 10°C and 25°C. (Show °F/in)
  • Space plants: 20 cm apart
  • Harvest in 8-10 weeks. Use leaves before flowers appear, otherwise they will be 'hairy'. .
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Strawberry, tomatoes, zucchini/squash. Deters pests from many plants.

Your comments and tips

13 Mar 18, Mike (Australia - tropical climate)
It says here plant from May June - try then.
18 Jan 18, Helen Brown (Australia - temperate climate)
I have painted Borage flowers with egg white and then sprinkled them with fine sugar, very pretty cake decoration, they will last a long time in air tight container if perfectly dried before storage. Freshly picked Borage flowers and Marigold petals, when sprinkled over salad, will win you a 10 out of 10 for presentation
29 Nov 17, JB (Australia - temperate climate)
I would be careful when planting it as a companion in among other plants because it grows very large and spreads everywhere and can actually end up shading other plants and taking up a lot of room. It's a great way to attract bees though so I would recommend setting an area where there is space for it to grow aside and planting it there. It flowers pretty much all year round and pops up absolutely everywhere once it gets going which is good because you can cut it back or pull it out when it's in the way and you know it will appear again later somewhere in the garden.
21 Apr 16, Raewyn McConnell (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
Our Borrage plants, in a bed of light, well drained but nourishing soil, have grown wonderfully and are now in full flower (22.4.2016) They are large, but are showing signs of what appears to be collar rot. Could this be because they were mulched and it is an unseasonally damp summer, or because they have grown larger than usual and become too close together; shutting out sun to the roots? Need to know for the safety of future crops.
16 Apr 16, Purnima Sen (Canada - Zone 5a Temperate Warm Summer climate)
Can I grow this plant in a pot in balcony.?I live in a condo unit.
12 May 21, Celeste Archer (Canada - Zone 7a Mild Temperate climate)
I grow borage - since the bees love it. I have grown it in containers, no problem - it seems to grow everywhere. I have also noticed they tend to like potassium, moisture and rich soil. I have also grown them in various locations in my garden; they grow everywhere but I do notice a difference in size based on soil quality, light and moisture -- but again, they do grow just about everywhere..... I've yet to plant in a spot where it did not grow. This is a great plant for bees and the humming birds love it. When I lived in Burnaby, B.C., in an apartment on the third floor -- I had borage in containers, and all of a sudden humming birds appeared. Also, my third floor apartment balcony received minimal direct sunlight; it would be what I call BRIGHT shade (reflect from other apartment building windows) and the borage did well, in containers, in a compost and soil mixture.
19 Oct 15, Peter Kirstein (South Africa - Semi-arid climate)
I live in Dundee, KZN. Where can I buy seed for planting my own Borage?
17 Oct 14, Elizabeth (Australia - temperate climate)
I thought Comfrey was good as a fertiliser, not Borage. If it is that's great as I find it coming up everywhere! I keep bees and they love it. It grows nine months a year here. Flowers look lovely in ice blocks.
01 Oct 14, Amanda (South Africa - Dry summer sub-tropical climate)
This grows into a huge shrub in my garden in Cape Town! I'd say spacing is more like 100 cm x 100 cm, not 20 cm apart
01 Dec 13, Max (Australia - temperate climate)
Borage is great with pasta as well!! Just get some young leaves, chop them in a half, get the water boiling. In the mean time peel one small potato per pasta portion. I use fusilli. Chop potatoes finely and throw pasta borage and potatoes at once, with a pinch of extra salt for the spuds! While it's cooking, fry some anchovies and garlic in a frying pan, then drain the pasta and throw it in the frying pan and saute for a couple of minutes. Delicious and unique! Buon appetito!
Showing 31 - 40 of 55 comments

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