Borage

I originally purchased these seeds for companion planting with my strawberries because I read that it is a great bee attractor. There were bumble bees all over this plant. I was so excited. I'm going to plant a whole lot more borage. I really only planted one or two seeds and forgot about it and it sprouted just fine. Keep in mind that it grows enormous and then dies off as it is an annual herb. Seed collecting is a pita though. Literally out there twice a day or more to check the spent buds to look for seeds and missed them almost every time LOL. I even put a tarp under the plant, guess I will have volunteers forever. No complaints here. Love this plant and one or two seeds sprouted perfectly, so I call that a good germination rate.

I've planted these in my vegetable garden for two years now, and although I don't know that I've noticed any significant companion planting benefits, they sure are pretty! The flowers don't have much of a flavor, but are very decorative on a fruit or vegetable plate. They do tend to get leggy and flop over, as one reviewer said, but I have not had trouble with them in heat, perhaps because they've always had at least afternoon shade. They also seem rather drought resistant. I did try the suggestion of putting them in ice cubes, which was fun - although next time I'll only fill the tray half full, freeze the flowers, and then fill it the rest of the way. Otherwise the flower just floats on the surface of the cube and soon breaks free when you put it in a beverage, which is a little weird. Overall, a great plant!

These plants germinated and grew great. The leaves were nice, and the flowers were beautiful. But when it was 90F degrees in late June, the plants wilted and died, and only a few of them were able to flower. I recommend this variety for cool season areas; not Dallas, Texas!

I bought this because I'd read in the book Carrots Love Tomatoes that it's good to companion plant with strawberries and it's a favorite of honeybees and other pollinators. It was very easy to grow and the pollinators did love it. We enjoyed a few a the cucumber flavored leaves. It is a beautiful plant - very ethereal looking in the early morning, sparkling with all the dew suspended on its tiny hairs. A few visitors asked about this plant and ended up taking seeds home with them.

I grew this as a companion to tomatoes and beans in 2015. It came back in 2016, good for my onions. Young leaves were good in salads. Older leaves smell bad and have an off-putting prickly texture, but were good when cooked. It was attractive to rabbits and bugs (worked well as a trap crop), and needed to be cut back to keep it from getting too big and flopping over. The flowers are very pretty.

I grew this in my strawberry garden in 2013 as a companion plant. I planted the seeds and all 3 plants grew. They really are a pretty plant when they bloom. I harvested the blooms to eat in salads and to feed the chickens. I trimmed the plant a couple times to keep it in check and it did just fine. I will plant this in other areas to help attract bees etc. It is a super easy herb to grow and I am waiting to see if it comes back on its own this year.