It looks like Borage to me.

It looks like borage to me too. The bees love this plant.

Sierra

Right away I said borage, and I see others agree. I love the color of those flowers. Enjoy.

FlowerLady

Please excuse my rudeness at changing the subject, but it sounds like Kathy has her answer already, and this kind of ties in. (Are you feeling better, Kathy?)

Does borage rhyme with porridge, or is it more like mirage?

ThinMan

Plant it with your strawberries or asparagus. It's a good companion for both.

TM, I've always pronounced it like porridge soooo knowing me I'd bet my last buck the proper pronunciation is like mirage LOL.

Annette

You have a beautiful Borage plant, Kathy. I am so jealous!
Lucky you!

~ Annie

Thanks! It is something I have never seen, nor have I heard of anyone growing it here.

Token, so, my mirage borage should be moved to the asparagus bed? Is it an annual? I guess I need to let it go to seed.
I assumed it was in with the basil. But it is in a raised bed with bought soil. Could be the seed came with the soil,
or bird planted.

T-man, I feel a tad better. But I still would not be able make it around the supermarket. It is like someone took all my starch.
You would fall over laughing if you saw my sun flowers. Only 5 came up and they are about 2 1/2 feet tall. I thought they would be easy to grow. I guess there is not enough sun in the area. I planted them.

BTW, Joan's potato soup was the best I have ever had.

My Mom always planted Borage in between her tomato plants. It is supposed to repel the moth that lays eggs that become Hornworms. Every year it would reseed a little and the Borage would pop up in the garden. It gets big and tall with nice blue flowers and the flowers can be used to garnish iced tea! Oh it's an annual.
Joann

They have tap roots so don't try to move it. But you can collect seed easily. Some of the blooms on mine this year turned out purple. It was very nice til the rains brought it down.

Thanks for all the info.

Hi Kathy, I don't know anything about your plant, but I'm sorry to hear that you have been sick. Hope you feel like gardening again real soon.
Jim

Kathy - borage like porridge - but then you know we talk funny over here anyway. It should self seed if you let it.

LOL Flora, I guess I talk funny too.

Annette

Good to plant with strawberries, tomatoes and asparagus, just like basil. They benefit one another. Like Basil, Borage improves the flavor of tomatoes.

Don't thin the little seedlings that come up from self-seeding. Let them grow close together to support each other. Borage tends to flop and sprawl and can get to looking kind of scraggly, so growing them close together will improve how they grow and how they look. It keeps the leaves out of the dirt, too.

Borage will grow in almost any kind of soil, but does best when grown in good, rich soil. Add compost throughout the summer to keep it looking its best and growing good.

The leaves and flowers are edible. The leaves taste mildly like cucumber. Flowers and leaves are good as a garnish on salads.

You can make a tonic (strong tea) to drink to help relieve stress. It has many medicinal benefits. High in Potassium and other important minerals. I have several herb books that give detailed information about the many uses and benefits of Borage.

The flowers can also be frozen in ice cubes for special drinks. I did this for a wedding once. Pretty blue flowers in mini-ice cubes. I also used mini-pink rose buds and the combination was very pretty. I made a ginger-fruit punch with a bit of Grenadine for rosie color.
It was lovely with the flowery ice cubes floating in it and boy was it delicious!

~Annie