| My beautiful blue borage begins to bloom in | | | | blueness, its attractiveness to bees, its size (1-3'), |
| February. I'm thrilled and the bees are too. The | | | | and its free-seeding quality. When it sneaks in and |
| Sonoma County CA Mediterranean climate where | | | | around my garden, filling bare spots between |
| I live has cool, rainy winters and long hot, dry | | | | other flowers, I'm content. I never know where |
| summers. If your climate is different or harsher, | | | | it's going to appear next. But when I want it to be |
| your borage will simply bloom a bit later; that | | | | where it's not, I take the whole stem with spent, |
| doesn't detract from its benefits. | | | | gone-to-seed flowers and lay it down in that spot. |
| Though many folks do not appreciate borage, I | | | | Voila, that's where they'll be next! But I've heard |
| definitely do. For starters, it's blue, and I cannot | | | | folks say, "It seeds all over the place." Well, yes, it |
| get enough of the blues! Secondly, it's one of the | | | | can. Don't want it there? Pull it out-it's easy. I also |
| earliest plants to begin blooming, after rosemary. | | | | appreciate its cultural requirements: sun or shade, |
| And though there's not much out there yet to be | | | | practically no water, poor soil, all climate zones. |
| pollinated, on a warm and sunny afternoon, the | | | | What's not to like? |
| bees are diligently working over both the borage | | | | Others have complained about the difficulty of |
| and the rosemary. We need the borage, because | | | | handling its prickly hairiness. Wear gloves and long |
| we need the bees (have you been reading about | | | | sleeves! And finally, I love those tiny star-shaped |
| the widespread hive die-off?). | | | | flowers because they are edible. I hold the stem, |
| Borage officinalis (relating to medicine) originally | | | | and with a simple pinch in the middle of the blue |
| hales from the Mediterranean area. Centuries ago | | | | corolla, out it pops, intact. I use them in salads or |
| the seeds of many non-native herbs, grasses, | | | | on appetizer cheese platters. Afraid to eat them? |
| flowers, grains were brought here by immigrants | | | | Don't. Use them simply as a garnish on the side. |
| to grow, or inadvertently in the feed for their | | | | That electric blue does wonders for a |
| cattle or embedded in the coats of the animals. | | | | monochromatic side dish. And wash the blues |
| Whichever way borage arrived, it's undoubtedly | | | | thoroughly, because you never know where the |
| here to stay. | | | | dog's been. Enjoy your borage! |
| For me, everything about Borage is positive: its | | | | © 2010 Sandy P. |