Borage - A Plant of Boraginacear Family
Published · Flower Resource
This plant is a member of forget me not family. It can be found anywhere around the world and originates from Mediterranean region. This plant has hollow hairy stem that reach up to 3 feet in height and 2 feet in width. Borage is an annual plant that means it can complete its life cycle in one year.
Borage represents courageousness and the origin of this name is still a mystery. The meaning of this flower is ‘I bring courage’. It is often called father of roughness. Thus you can flowers to your loved ones whom to want to be courageous. This plant takes away dullness and melancholy and is also anti depressant. You can also offer this flower to your man whom you consider the man of courage.
Uses of Borage
- Borage is cultivated in ornamental purposes and also as cut flowers.
- It is also used as herbal remedy for numerous disorders.
- Flowers of this plant are edible and have sweet honey like taste and thus they are used for decoration of cakes and other sweet desserts.
- Borage is also popular in Mediterranean cuisine.
- Borage is also used in the manufacture of wine in ancient Rome.
- This plant can protect legumes, spinach and tomatoes from the pest in the garden.
- It is also an effective treatment for cardiovascular disorders, asthma, bronchitis, depression, arthritis and nervous tension.
- They are also used for industrial manufacture of edible borage oil.
Interesting Facts
- This plant produces broad, oval and dark green leaves.
- Borage is also known as star flower because the star shaped flowers are arranged in form of terminal clusters.
- It blooms from May to October.
- The flowers have also rich source of nectar that attracts bees and bumble bees, they are main pollinators of this plant.
- Borage is a rich source of vitamins like A and C and minerals such as iron, calcium and magnesium.
Soil Needed
- It grows on fertile, moist soil.
- They are tolerant of any type of soul and even poor dry soil.
- You can provide boost to borage plant by amending the soil with some type of organic matter.
- Thus rich, well draining soil with a sunny location is optimal for the plant growth.
How to Plant?
- The plant grows best when it is directly seeded.
- You can cover the seeds barely with soil and keep it well watered.
- You can also plant the seeds indoors by planting it 3 to 4 weeks before the last expected frost.
- You can plant the seedlings 2 to 3 inches apart.
Maintenance and Care
- You can easily remove excess plants from the garden.
- They are also self seeds so they can also naturally grow.
- Borage is open pollinated so you can easily collect seeds from the plant till it turns brown.
- To encourage branching and keep the plant shorter the plants can be pruned or pinched.
- You can periodically feed the soil with any fertilized label so that plant can benefit from poor soil.