# update: Borage



## monrovi (Jan 22, 2012)

Cool! I just planted some the other week. I'm glad to here bees like it


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

I like to do some succession planting. Yes, right now is the time to 
plant them in the Spring time.


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## Nature Coast beek (Jun 10, 2012)

Do you have problems with rabbits eating borage?


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

Right now I don't have the rabbits. So cannot tell you.
But I am sure in time of a dearth they will eat any plants they can find.
Seeing the dust bowl on you tube of how the jack rabbits got killed and
no vegetation will survived them, I am sure they will eat the borage too.
If you have rabbits then make a rectangular chicken wire fence around them.
Put up a few stakes will hold the fence together. If they want to dig under
the fence then line the bottom of the raise bed with chicken fence too. The
bigger wires mesh will do.


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## eukofios (Apr 14, 2013)

For what it's worth, I have rabbits all over the place, and deer. Neither bothered my borage. Early on one seedling had evidence of leaf damage, but they must not have liked it and didn't come back.

Only a few borage plants, but they sprawled all over with lots of flowers. Very popular with honeybees.


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## BGhoney (Sep 26, 2007)

borage blooms here until we have a hard frost. and reseeds itself rapidly


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## ruthiesbees (Aug 27, 2013)

My summer planted borage just started blooming today, and it is one of the things that the rabbit and deer did not eat to the ground. The late season sunflowers didn't survive the constant nibbling. Although I have yet to see one of my bees on the hundreds of flowers I have in my yard. I would spot a rouge bee on my flowers in the spring (before I had my own hive), but now they are foraging elsewhere. As long as they are happy, I'm ok with that.


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## mlsthmpsn (Feb 23, 2012)

I had borage in my vegetable garden last year as a companion plant/attractor....now I have about 2000 new seedlings all of the garden and concentrated under the areas the plants were last year.

I collected seeds by placing a sheet under the plants and shaking them...seeds fall when ready. I left the sheets in place for a while to catch the others that fall, a rock in the middle of the sheet helped bounce them to the center for easy picking. I saved about a pint jars worth. I will be seeing how well Borage competes with tall grass this year.


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## philbee (Jan 20, 2014)

Thanks for the tip on collecting your own borage seed. A few years ago, when out in Manitoba, my wife and I bought 100 pounds from a farmer/seed merchant. Since then I've tried ... unsuccessfully ... to find a source for a bulk purchase. We paid $5.00 a pound for our Manitoba purchase ... way less than seed catalogue prices. Ideas, anyone?


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

I was told that this entry in the National Honey Show, 30 jar class, was Borage.


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## 22DPac (Jun 24, 2012)

Beautiful!!


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

My bees are collecting borage nectar and pollen now. The pollen is white color while the
nectar is like the one on the pic. It has honey flavor with a lighter honey fresh taste. I like it!
I wonder what the white flower borage honey taste like.


Borage: It's a jungle out there!


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## philbee (Jan 20, 2014)

beepro said:


> My bees are collecting borage nectar and pollen now. The pollen is white color while the
> nectar is like the one on the pic. It has honey flavor with a lighter honey fresh taste. I like it!
> I wonder what the white flower borage honey taste like.
> 
> ...


Nice pics, you guys. I hope we'll have a plantation like that in a couple of months... and some honey from it.


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## nlk3233 (May 19, 2014)

beepro said:


> My bees are collecting borage nectar and pollen now. The pollen is white color while the
> nectar is like the one on the pic. It has honey flavor with a lighter honey fresh taste. I like it!
> I wonder what the white flower borage honey taste like.
> 
> ...


Wow those plants are huge. Look great!


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## mlsthmpsn (Feb 23, 2012)

Bees are hitting my Borage weed patch pretty good now.


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## philbee (Jan 20, 2014)

Those are pretty spectacular photographs of the bees on borage ... wonderful the way you got in some sky and landscape in the background. I forwarded the second image to a friend who is an amateur painter to see if she's up for the challenge. Thanks. - Tony


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## mlsthmpsn (Feb 23, 2012)

philbee said:


> Those are pretty spectacular photographs of the bees on borage ... wonderful the way you got in some sky and landscape in the background. I forwarded the second image to a friend who is an amateur painter to see if she's up for the challenge. Thanks. - Tony


That's about the only way to get good photos of borage being worked by bees. The flowers hang down quite a bit, so the bees are forced to work upside down. 

And thanks for the comments... Took about 50 photos to get 3-4 decent ones. But, with borage, you pick your shot and wait. The bees flitter around from flower to flower pretty quick until they find one that has refilled with nectar.


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## Oly Pen Aaron (Jun 30, 2014)

Those pics would make awesome jigsaw puzzles!


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## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

Are those High Dynamic Range photos? What did you take them with? In any event they look great.


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