White Borage 'Alba'

While the common blue borage is widely known, 'Alba' offers a sophisticated alternative with its pure, star-shaped white flowers. This hardy annual is a staple of many UK cottage gardens, valued for its ability to attract honeybees and bumblebees in great numbers. The leaves and flowers have a refreshing cucumber-like scent and flavour; the blossoms are particularly famous for being frozen into ice cubes or used to garnish Pimm's and summer salads. Growth is rapid, forming a bushy plant covered in bristly, silver-green hairs. It prefers a sunny site and is not fussy about soil type, though it thrives best in well-drained ground. Although an annual, it is a prolific self-seeder, meaning it will likely reappear year after year once established. In the UK, it is often used as a companion plant in vegetable patches, where it is believed to improve the health of nearby crops while providing a bountiful supply of edible blooms.

Sun: Full sun to partial shade.

Soil: Most soil types, well-drained.

Hardiness: H5 — down to −15°C.

Flowering: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.