The Beauty of Borage

Borago Officinalis

Yes it's a weed. Yes it's a thug. But up close isn't it amazing? In health food shops they label Borage oil as 'Starflower Oil' instead. A bit moon-eyed, but you can see why. We've got too much of it, but it brings in the bees like nothing else. It's been flowering here for a good few weeks and won't stop until autumn. I grow it as a companion plant. It seems to be good with courgettes, as both have hairy leaves, but I've found that the hairs on the borage leaves can damage smooth leaved plants. So it's not the ideal companion plant really, but I love it nonetheless.

New Arrival

Japanese Wineberry - Rubus phoenicolasius

A gift from an old friend arrived this week. I've been lusting after them for ages, and I have high hopes for them. It's a pair of Japanese Wineberry plants. They are handsome already, but will grow much bigger I hope, up to 3m tall. Their fruits are apparently a bit like raspberries, but encased in the bizarre little furry pods below right up until they are ready to eat, when they burst open to reveal the fruit.  I'll have to let you know how they get on. I'm told they are very easy to grow, fruit abundantly, and better still taste delicious. They also don't show up in the shops - which I always think is a big factor in choosing which plants to grow yourself.

Now, where to put them... this time of year there's not a lot of space!

More Japanese Wineberry - the unripe fruit