Besides being visually pleasing, borage is also a great addition to gardens because of its ability to attract pollinators (bees, butterflies, etc.). Borage is a very hardy plant and will thrive in almost any soil. If the soil is very poor, add a little fertilizer.
What is borage grown for?
Borage is best known as a herb, grown for it’s delicate blue flowers. These are plucked from the plant and sprinkled into summer drinks, such as fruit punch, where they add a refreshing cucumber-like fragrance.
What is borage used for commercially?
Whenever we mention growing borage, people are always curious to know the end product of such an unusual crop. The answer is that it is used in the health supplements sector as starflower oil.
Can borage be used as a fertilizer?
Commercially, borage is grown for its oil content, but in the garden, you can use its leaves soaked in water as a fertilizer, or plant masses of the herb as a living soil enricher. Borage provides a showy display for 4 to 6 months and then has a slow nitrogen release when you chop it back into the soil.
Is borage good for health?
Borage is a medicinal herb that has been associated with a number of powerful health benefits. In particular, borage has been shown to decrease inflammation, improve skin health, and decrease symptoms of asthma.
What animals eat borage?
Yes, borage is attractive to honeybees, and also attracts predatory insects.
What does borage taste like?
Blue borage flowers are star-shaped, vibrant blooms that add beauty to the plate, along with a mild cucumber flavor that some describe as a sweet honey taste. It’s also mildly salty. The texture of these gorgeous edible flowers is delicate with very small hairs. The entire flower is deliciously edible.
Is borage poisonous to humans?
Borage seed oil is LIKELY UNSAFE when products containing a dangerous chemicals called pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are taken by mouth. Borage plant parts including the leaf, flower, and seed can contain PAs. PAs can damage the liver or cause cancer, especially when used in high doses or for a long time.
What part of borage is medicinal?
Borage is a plant. Its flowers and leaves, as well as the oil from its seeds are used as medicine.
Is borage toxic to dogs?
Unfortunately, these plants are not good for your dog or other small animals, causing intestinal upset, respiratory distress, and can be fatal if not treated right away. If you think your dog has eaten borage, it is essential to take your furry friend to the veterinarian or animal hospital right away.
What insects does borage attract?
Borage attracts a wide variety of beneficial insects, including tiny parasitic braconid wasps, predatory nabid bugs, and hoverflies, which eat unwelcome garden pests. It is a host plant for lacewings that lay their eggs on it and the smell is thought to repel tomato hornworms.
Do birds eat borage?
Borage is Great for Birds Too
Once borage goes to seed, the seed also provides food for a range of creatures, including a number of seed-eating bird species, such as finches.
What should not be planted with borage?
Borage is deer-proof. Brassicas (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, kohlrabi, turnip) – All benefit from chamomile, dill, mint, rosemary, and sage. Avoid planting near eggplants, peppers, potatoes, or tomatoes.
Can borage be eaten raw?
Eating borage.
Both the leaves and flower are edible and can be used in delicious sweet and savoury recipes. It can be eaten raw in delicious mixed green salads, chopped into yoghurts, cheese and even added to stocks, soups and stews or simply added for garnish.
Do bees like borage?
Borage is an amazing plant for bees. It’s an annual herb worthy of any garden, the pretty blue flowers are great for summer drinks and the young borage leaves add texture to a salad. The flowers replenish their nectaries regularly and are a magnet for honeybees all summer.
Is borage invasive?
Borage is often referred to as invasive because of its rampant self-seeding habit. However, the seedlings are easy to identify and remove so it rarely becomes a major problem. Borage leaves and flowers are edible and have a cucumber flavor.
What does borage smell like?
Every other week we get Down & Dirty with our favorite unique seasonal fruits, vegetables, and more. Today, five things you should know about the herb borage (besides the fact that it exists). 1.
Is borage poisonous to chickens?
Many folks don’t think of herbs when it comes to providing food for chickens, but there are some great choices here. Borage is one such, as it has lots of mineral-rich leaves as well as flowers that are edible and make excellent additions to a chicken’s diet.
What can you do with borage?
Borage flowers make an attractive garnish and add a refreshing flavour to cold drinks and salads. They can also be crystallised to use as cake decorations. Pick the flowers when they have just fully opened.
How long does borage last?
Borage is an annual, completing its life cycle in one growing season.
What plant smells like cucumbers?
Maidenhair fern is a native of Texas and several other states, not including Pennsylvania. We’re guessing if you have seen this herb in gardens in your area, you mistook it for a fern. It does have a lovely cucumber fragrance and is often used in salads to add a cucumber “presence” without having to slice a cucumber.