Honey bee and a borage plant

Honey bee approaching a borage flower

I always look forward to seeing fuzzy borage plants, also known as starflower plants, appear in the garden this time of year. Borage is a native to the Mediterranean region and grows very well in the Bay Area climate. It blooms from late spring through late summer, then the whole plant dries up. Fortunately they are easy to grow and easily self-seed.

Borage was traditionally cultivated for herbal and medicinal use, and the little flowers taste like cucumbers.

But unless you have a huge field of borage, it would be best to leave the plant alone and watch the bees frequently visit, because this is an excellent nectar plant for bees.