Borage

[Herbie]

Hi All

Wonder if you could be so kind to help with this. I want to grow Borage. Seed packet says April/May, however some websites says its perenial and others say it is an annual.
Do you think it would be ok to sow and treat as a perennial in the south west or should i be patient and wait?

Whats your experience with Borage.

Thanks very much.

[TEB]

I always thought it was an annual but self seeded like crazy, you could sow some now and the rest next year.

[Northwest]

I grew some this year for the first-time in the top of a herb planter, it was grown from
seed early march.

What I have lernt is it gets very tall but the stems are hollow and it needs supporting
the whole length of the stem because if you get heavy rain it will snap under its own weight, i made the mistake of only supporting about 2/3 of the way up and by mid June they were about 4ft high with amazing flowers and bees going mad around it, then we had a heavy rain storm and the whole thing just toppled to the ground

[Herbie]

Thanks TEB

Will give it a go as everyone says it has two choices. I just wondered if someone had grown it and had experience of it coming back after the winter.

[Two_Sheds]

Yes, it comes back every year ... it self-seeds everywhere

[Herbie]

Thanks Two Sheds and Northwest for your replies, going to sow some after tea.

[Flummery]

Mine self seeds like mad - and io's shedding seed about now. So it should be ok for next year's crop to sow a few now. Once you've got it you'll never be without it!

[Herbie]

Thanks Flummery will give it ago. I saw it on a neighbours allotment and just love the flowers, hopefully it will give the bees something to do next year

[sarraceniac]

Bocking 14 Borage is a perennial developed in the 1950s that produces sterile flowers. That is propagated by division and so doesn't get invasive. 'Normal' Borage is a self-seeding annual and can be very invasive but either type makes the most wonderful liquid fertiliser by 'fermenting' it in rain water. I use nothing else but having been 'caught' with the standard stuff now have Bocking 14. It still spreads a bit but is controllable to one area. It won't matter when you plant the seed. It is rampant.

[Flummery]

Comfrey? Bocking 14.

[sarraceniac]

Sorry. Got my mind on other things. (Or maybe too much Pimms'? )

[maytreefrannie]

Borage has been self-seeding in my garden for over 20 years - I love it even though
yes, it gets too tall,
yes, it sometimes falls over and
yes, it pops up anywhere and everywhere.

It's a great plant for bees and as someone else said, can be used in a home-made liquid plant food.

[basketcase]

It's a great plant for bees and as someone else said, can be used in a home-made liquid plant food.

Is this a euphemism for Pimms? Or can it really be used like Comfrey? A win-(hic)-win situation!

[sarraceniac]

Is this a euphemism for Pimms? Or can it really be used like Comfrey? A win-(hic)-win situation!

It is all my fault. I make liquid fertiliser from both. Comfrey is very high in N. and Borage is high in P. Must admit though, despite my recent propensity to get mixed up, that Borage is far better in Pimms. At least I surmise that it is. I've never got that confused.

[LostGoddess]

Comfrey is very high in N. and Borage is high in P.

Does the 'P' stand for Pimms?
Saraceniac, have I been missing your posts or have you been away from the Vine for a bit?