Borage was already cultivated as a spice and medicinal plant in the Middle Ages, and today it can be found in many gardens. We explain how it grows, what types of borage there are and much more.
Borage (Borago) is a true miracle herb - wonderfully fragrant and tasty, with beautiful flowers that not only decorate your garden, but also attract many pollinating insects. If you don't have your own borage in your garden yet, it's high time you did. We will tell you everything about the origin, different varieties and the harvest of the aromatic kitchen and medicinal herb.
Borage: origin and characteristics
Borage is a plant of the borage family (Boraginaceae). It is also called cucumber herb or kukumerkraut, popularly also called Liebäugelein. The former is probably due to the fact that the smell of its leaves is very similar to that of cucumbers. Another name for the herb is celestial star - in reference to its star-shaped flowers. Beekeepers value borage as a bee pasture because borage produces copious amounts of high-sugar nectar, albeit only moderate amounts of high-quality pollen. It is therefore no wonder that borage can also be found in our Plantura bee pasture, which was developed together with beekeepers. You can read about the advantages and procedure for planting in our article on creating a bee pasture, in which we have collected many valuable tips for you.
Tip: The flowers of the borage are still pink at the beginning, later they develop their color to blue due to the change in the pH value inside the cell.
Originally from Asia Minor and the Mediterranean region, borage has conquered almost the whole world today. It rarely occurs as a "garden refugee" on natural areas and is considered a non-invasive neophyte. It is found in Europe and North America, but also in New Zealand, western Asia and South America. The ancient Greeks and Romans already knew borage and used it in a variety of ways. Borage reached Central Europeonly in the late Middle Ages. It was first cultivated in France and later also in Germany. Today it is an integral part of many herb and cottage gardens.
Leaves and flowers of borage
The leaves and stalks of cucumber herb are covered with spiky hairs called trichomes. The dark green leaves can be between 10 and 15 centimeters long and are lance-shaped. Borage blooms white or blue between May and July, depending on the variety. If the star-shaped flowers are pollinated, they develop into Klaus fruits, which are typical of the borage family. Each fruit consists of several sub-fruits - so-called Klausen - which contain the black, grooved borage seeds.
Is borage perennial?
Borage is an annual, herbaceous plant that forms broad clumps. It grows up to a meter high. In its short lifespan, borage develops long, branched roots that are brown on the outside and white on the inside.
Risk of confusion with borage
During flowering, the borage is easy to spot. As a young plant, however, it is easily confused with the highly poisonous foxglove - even if the borage has stalked leaves, while those of the foxglove are basal. Therefore, wild borage should be collected only during flowering. Comfrey can also look similar to borage when young.
Types and varieties
There are only five species in the borage genus. The most important for us is of course the common borage (Borago officinalis). But also the creeping and the perennial borage are interesting for hobby gardeners. In the following we give you a brief overview of some types and varieties of borage.
Borage (Borago officinalis)
The common borage is certainly the best known of the various borage species. This borage features intense blue flowers with contrasting black stamens. Two varieties of common borage deserve special attention.
- Borago officinalis ˈVariegataˈ: This interesting, variegated variety features delicate blue flowers and green leaves variegated with white.
- Borago officinalis ˈAlbaˈ: Alba is also known as white borage. The plant usually flowers later in theSeason.
Perennial borage (Borago pygmaea; synonym Borago laxiflora )
Also known as creeping borage, its graceful growth makes it ideal as a pot plant. Contrary to Borago officinalis, Borago pygmaea does not grow as an annual. Perennial borage originally comes from Sardinia and Corsica and is similar to common borage in taste and use.
Propagating borage
Borretsch can only be propagated by seeds, i.e. generatively, and also likes to sow itself. This can sometimes become a real nuisance if your borage spreads wildly in the garden. But don't worry: You can simply uproot unwanted plants.
Either let your borage do the sowing yourself or collect the seeds and save them for next year. Wait until the flowers die off to collect seeds and pick the hermit fruits before they fall to the ground. The ideal time to pick the fruit with the seeds contained in the cluster is just after it starts to turn brown. The seeds should now be removed from the cloves and dried for a few days before storage.
Keep them in a dry and cool place over the winter, then they can be used for re-sowing next spring. For sowing, we recommend a nutrient-poor soil such as our Plantura Organic Herb & Seed Soil, so that the plants form stronger roots. Our seed compost stands out from other substrates due to the peat-free mixture and perlite for more aeration. You can find out when you should sow seeds and in which location borage thrives in our article on planting borage.
Tip: Borage forms a taproot. If you want to prefer the herb and then plant it out, this root must be treated with particular care.
Harvesting, storing and preserving borage
You can harvest and use both the borage leaves and the flowers. We will now introduce you to ways of harvesting, storing and preserving the two parts of the plant.
Borage Leaves
The green leaves of borage can be harvested all year round. Pick only the young, tender leaves. The older ones are mostlyhairier and more sour. For the best flavor, always use the greens fresh after harvesting. In midsummer, however, it can also make sense to harvest the leaves in the morning, before the sun hits them. This is when the water content in the plants is still highest and they keep longer. You can keep the fresh leaves in the fridge for a few days.
For preservation, you can dry the leaves or soak them in vinegar and oil. Drying borage is not recommended, however, as many flavors are lost.
Borage Flowers
Pick the flowers in the morning before they wilt too much in the sun. Fresh buds stay good in the fridge for only a few days. Candied in sugar, on the other hand, the beautiful flower stars have a longer shelf life. Frozen with water in ice cube trays, you can also use the flowers for a long time - and they are a real feast for the eyes in cocktails or cold drinks. The blossoms can also be preserved in vinegar and oil - unfortunately the blossoms lose their color this way.
Uses of borage
First of all, it should be mentioned that borage contains secondary plant substances, which are not entirely harmless to he alth. You can read about what these substances are, how they work and what you need to be aware of in our special article dealing with the toxicity of borage.
The leaves are often used in borage recipes. They taste great in salads and soups and can be prepared like kale or spinach. The refreshing taste of cucumber is also good in vegetable dishes and cold drinks. The flowers can also be used like the leaves, but are also particularly good as an eye-catcher on salads or desserts. Borage oil can also be obtained from the seeds.
Not only the flowers of the borage, but also those of many other plants can be eaten. In our post, we introduce you to the top 20 edible flowers.