Water Wise Plants

Here's a full list of all our water wise plants. You can also view an image gallery, or view the plants by categories.

Borago officinalis

Pronunciation

ber-AH-go oh-fiss-ih-NAH-liss

Common Name

Borage

Plant Type

Annual

Mature Size

2'-3' high x 1.5'-2' wide

Water Requirements

Low: water every three weeks until the root ball is wet

Sun/Shade Requirements

Full to half sun

Wildlife

Bees

Flower Color

Where to See

Palo Alto Water Wise Demonstration Garden

Maintenance- Design- Planting Tips

The compact size, bright green leaves and blue springtime flowers of Borago officinalis provide a nice contrast to the darker and more muted greens of most water wise plants. Borage is an annual that dies back without supplemental water in summer. It reseeds readily, allowing new plants to spring up in random places. Plants are easy to remove when they begin to die back or if the seedlings come up in undesirable locations. The plant is edible and its star-shaped blue flowers taste like cucumber. In a low water situation, the plants seldom grow over 1.5 feet.

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