Lore: Always plant Borage around in your garden…….. vs Science: Borage flowers attract good pollinators
The bright blue, star-shaped flowers (which bloom most of the summer) make borage one of the prettiest herb plants, though the dark green leaves are rather plain. The flavor of the leaves resembles that of cucumber. The plant will grow to a height of about 18 inches, and spread about 12 inches. This hardy annual has a messy, straggling habit. It is a native of northern Europe, and grows well in the temperate regions of North America.
Cultivation -Borage is not a fussy plant, but the richer the soil, the bushier the plant will be. It prefers full sun, and needs protection from wind as it is easily blown over. Seeds can be sown throughout the season, and once growth is established, it will continue to seed itself. Place plants close together so they can support each other. A plant or two in an indoor pot will provide leaves all winter, but it will need lots of sun. Borage is an excellent companion plant for tomatoes, squash and strawberries. The plant actually improves the flavor of tomatoes growing nearby.
Testimonial on Planting Borage,
“It isn’t fussy about soil type and will grow in poor dry soil. I planted it for those reasons those 2 ½ years ago. My main reason being for the fact that it really attracts bees. It’s amazing to me how many bumblebees I will find buzzing from borage flower to borage flower. For this reason alone I planted some near my squash plants. Another reason I grew it was because I read somewhere (and now I can’t remember where) that borage has been found to be one of the best herbs for attracting beneficial insects. Yet another reason for growing borage is because it is a companion plant for tomatoes. It is said to enhance the flavor of tomatoes and repel tomato hornworms.”
Some Culinary History: Borage is a culinary herb mostly popular in Central Europe. Its light cucumber fragrance is mostly suited for raw vegetable salads and borage is also used to make pureed soups. Boiling, frying and simmering quickly destroy most of its characteristic fragrance.
In many regions of Germany, sauces prepared from herbs are popular in spring and many of the recipes contain borage. Best known (even outside of Germany) is the grüne Soße “green sauce” made in Frankfurt. The traditional recipe calls for seven herbs: parsley, chervil, chives, cress, sorrel, burnet and borage, with lemon balm sometimes added as an eight
One more thought on borage: 
Add Borage to compost piles or compost tumblers. Borage is a green material that breaks down quickly in composting because it is high in moisture content. Borage leaves are also high in vitamin C, potassium, mineral salts and calcium.
Once again we see where there really is little difference in “lore” vs “science” views. Borage obviously makes a good companion plant because its not fussy, attracts the best of polinators & is largely edible. I saw in one magazine where someone had frozen the little blue flowers in ice cubes to serve with her favorite iced teas. I’ve read they are also commonly candied for cake decorations.
