# see Borage pic



## thenance007 (May 25, 2011)

I still have 4 or 5 borage plants that overwintered here--not quite as far along as yours, but I was shocked. Waiting to plant mine in May so they'll bloom during our dearth in July/August. I love borage!


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

Hi, 007. This is my first season to grow them. Not sure how they will produce yet.
It is interesting to see that they are able to overwinter fine. I was thinking if the frost
might kill them too. Are they frost hardy too? 
If the temp is at around 30-50s the seeds will sprout in a flower pot. Now I am thinking if
succession planting is good until the dearth in Nov. here. It is fun to experiment them now
that my bees are expanding now. Yup, plants and bees are a good combination for a gardener!
How do they look like after the winter? Got a pic to show.


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## Sticky Bear (Mar 15, 2012)

They do well and self seed quite well. Here they die back during the winter and in a few days I will mow them at highest setting on wheels. They can be invasive in your yard.


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

So after the mowing do they come back again with the flowers?
That means they do not die in one season but die the next one?


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## Sticky Bear (Mar 15, 2012)

beepro said:


> So after the mowing do they come back again with the flowers?
> That means they do not die in one season but die the next one?


Like Basil they reseed yearly and are an annual.

Borage (Borago officinalis), also known as a starflower, is an annual herb. It is native to the Mediterranean region and has naturalized in many other locales. It grows satisfactorily in gardens in the UK climate, remaining in the garden from year to year by self-seeding. The leaves are edible and the plant is grown in gardens for that purpose in some parts of Europe. The plant is also commercially cultivated for borage seed oil extracted from its seeds.


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## jmgi (Jan 15, 2009)

Borage produces a large quantity of nectar per blossom is think, bees don't visit that many before they head back to the hive from my observations. They are an annual which reseeds very easily and come back in the same spot every year, they don't transplant very well once they get a little bigger, I found that out too. John


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## Seymore (May 1, 2009)

I'm not sure when this fella sprouted, but it's gone through several frosts and been fine, oddly. It's in a raised bed, south facing, and protected on its backside. My shoe is shown for perspective.


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## Seymore (May 1, 2009)

Btw, the flowers and leaves taste like cucumber. The leaves should be used young because the get a good fuzz going on as they get older.


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

Interesting to see this plant grow quite well.
Here is another pic I took yesterday. They are all from my 1 gallon plastic
pot I transplant into the ground. These are planted last year inside the pots and
left outside all winter long. We have mild winter here with frost so they grow
very big per plant. If I plant 4 in a gallon pot they did not grow that big until
planted into the ground later on.


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## Slow Modem (Oct 6, 2011)

I received some seeds yesterday. Waiting to plant for a late bloom is a good idea. I'll try that. Thanks!


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## thenance007 (May 25, 2011)

I read somewhere that the flowers refill with nectar every 2 minutes, and from the way my bees constantly worked it, I believe it. I discovered that if I cut down the flower stalks, several more would pop up. Hard part is deciding when to cut them down, as the flowers seem to bloom at random, some opening, some done, all in the same stalk for weeks. I had planted them last year in early Spring, they bloomed in May and June. Seeds began sprouting in August, they started blooming in mid-October and as temps dropped, they didn't seem to be producing much nectar. Didn't expect them to overwinter--most sucombed to 20 degree weather, but those in protected areas survived and are coming back--tells me that maybe with a heavy covering of leaves, the whole bed might overwinter. Beginning to see a few volunteers coming up now. The reason for waiting is that they got top heavy, flopped over, put up side stalks, but eventually got something like gray mildew on the leaves and went down. Suspect that spraying with milk would have stopped that if I had caught it in time, but by that time the plants were big, straggly and ugly.


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## Seymore (May 1, 2009)

Very interesting that yours have overwintered, Bond. What zone are you in? Beepro, I like that idea of starting in a pot and overwintering. No freezing temps? Zone? I've had a hard time getting borage to get to flower stage previously. I think it may get too hot for it here too quickly. This plant looks like it started early enough - from seeds I threw out last fall - that I think it will make it this year - yay! Think I'll go soak some more seeds and try to get a jump on a few more. (Kinda late for a "jump" already; maybe a hop?  )


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## thenance007 (May 25, 2011)

I'm in 6B in Nashville. But my neighborhood seems to be about 2 weeks behind the southern part of Nashville, where things have been blooming for 2-3 weeks before mine.


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## Seymore (May 1, 2009)

Wow, 6b and overwintered. That's kewl! I now have a different borage strategy. I'm still hoping more of my tossed seeds will sprout for this year.


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

I'm in zone 9b without freezing temps in the winter time. But very frosty between Dec thru late Feb.
The borage in the pot with 1" or so lower will give them some shade against the frost. But with freezing
and snowing they cannot survive unless you cover them somehow like put them inside a green house. Or using
temp shade cloth.
If you live in area that don't have snow then can over winter them in pots to set them next to the house.
This way they get some warmth from the house using the southern sun. 
The soil I put inside the pot is 1/3 potting/compost at the bottom. The middle 1/3 is heavy clay soil loosen up.
The top 1/3 is composted manure mixed in with compost. If you have peat moss or similar that will help
with top cover to keep the seeds moist. So don't have to water too often. I only water when the top 
layer is dry out. Use enough water in a small cup to not let them run outside the pot. Need to conserve
the water too. If you make a shallow depression on the soil in the middle of the pot then the water will not
run to the edge. You can water up to the level of the depression like a shallow U shape.
With the clay soil the roots can absorb more moisture with something to grab onto that the regular garden soil 
is too loose for the drainage. The clay soil not let the water run down too quickly. If you don't have the clay soil in then
the garden soil let the water run out too fast. Then you have to water more often. At winter time I am too lazy
to go outside in the cold to water them. Many times the rains just take care of the watering for me.
With enough moisture the seeds not need to be soaked. At the right temp and conditions the seeds will sprout.


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## Dave Burrup (Jul 22, 2008)

We have some borage plants that have survived the winter too. We had about two weeks of below zero temperatures and two that were -18. We did have about 4 inches of snow on them. This is the first year we have had survivors.
Dave


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## Seymore (May 1, 2009)

Interesting. We haven't gotten down to -18 but definitely in the 20s, including last night. That, and being snow covered this winter... I will definitely save some of this seed!


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