Borage and calendula: flowers in the herb garden
Borage with its blue star-shaped flowers and the orange-yellow calendula belong in many herb and cottage gardens. Both are undemanding, flower for a long time and are popular with insects.
Borage
- Annual, sow directly from spring; usually self-seeds afterwards
- Grows large and wide – plan enough space
- The leaves taste slightly of cucumber
Good to know: pyrrolizidine alkaloids
According to the BfR, borage is one of the plants that form 1,2-unsaturated pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) – the BfR mentions Frankfurt green sauce, which contains borage, as an example. In general, the BfR recommends variety in food choices to avoid one-sided exposure. According to the BfR, anyone gathering wild herbs needs expert knowledge to avoid PA-containing plants such as borage.
Our conclusion for the kitchen: do not use borage daily or in large amounts – at most as an occasional seasoning.
Calendula
- Annual (Calendula officinalis), sow directly from spring, readily self-seeds
- Deadhead regularly and it will flower into autumn
- Not to be confused with marigold (Tagetes), a different plant with similar colours
In the bed
Both make good companions in the vegetable bed and fill gaps. If you do not want them everywhere, cut off the seed heads before they ripen.
Sources
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR): Fragen und Antworten zu Pyrrolizidinalkaloiden in Lebensmitteln, as of 16 Dec 2022, accessed 5 Oct 2026
The sources support individual statements in this article. The organisations named have neither reviewed nor endorsed it.