My Deer Garden

Plant record · Annual

Is Borage deer resistant?

Borago officinalis

Blue star-shaped borage flowers
Photo by Christian Orlandi, CC BY-SA 4.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.
Damage step 2 of 4 · Seldom Severely Damaged

Mostly. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.

Type
Annual
Hardiness
Grown as an annual, any zone
Light
Full sun
Height
19–38 in
Bloom
Summer and Fall
Maintenance
Low
Toxic to
dogs, cats, and horses

Damage steps follow a published university field scale. How plants are rated.

About Borage

Bristly leaves and stems keep deer off, and bees favor the blue flowers over almost anything else. It self-sows hard, so pull the seedlings you do not want early.

Do deer eat borage?

Seldom. Rutgers rates it B, Iowa State lists it in the second tier of herbs, and NC State lists deer and rabbits among what it resists. The bristles are the reason: every leaf and stem is covered in stiff hairs, and a mouthful of borage is a mouthful of wool with a cucumber taste. Under pressure the blue flowers are taken.

Where it grows

An annual in every zone, NC State giving 2a through 11b, 1 1/2 to 3 feet, full sun or partial shade, flowering summer into fall and "self-seeding and will remain in your garden year after year." Bees favor it above most of what flowers beside it. The ASPCA lists borage as toxic to dogs, cats and horses; NC State rates the severity Low, pyrrolizidine alkaloids "that can damage the liver," and the callout below carries it.

Protecting borage

Nothing. Pulling the seedlings you do not want is the only management.

If it is browsed

It regrows from the nodes and flowers on the new growth; a plant browsed in June is flowering again in July, and its seedlings are already coming up around it.

Soil and care

Soil pH
6 to 7.5
Drainage
Average garden soil
Water
Low
Spacing
18 to 24 in apart
Growth rate
Fast
Maintenance
Low

Similar to Borage

Other annuals with the same deer rating.

Where Borage is used

One guide on this site plants it, and says where and what beside it.

Where Borage grows

Hardy across every state on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering. Select any state, including one it will not grow in, for what is resistant there.

Alabama — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Alaska — hardy here. Zones 1 to 8.Arizona — hardy here. Zones 5 to 10.Arkansas — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.California — hardy here. Zones 7 to 10.Colorado — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Connecticut — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Delaware — hardy here. Zones 7 to 7.District of Columbia — hardy here. Zones 7 to 8.Florida — hardy here. Zones 8 to 11.Georgia — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Hawaii — hardy here. Zones 9 to 12.Idaho — hardy here. Zones 3 to 7.Illinois — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Indiana — hardy here. Zones 5 to 6.Iowa — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Kansas — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Kentucky — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.Louisiana — hardy here. Zones 8 to 10.Maine — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Maryland — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Massachusetts — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Michigan — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Minnesota — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Mississippi — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Missouri — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Montana — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Nebraska — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Nevada — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.New Hampshire — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.New Jersey — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.New Mexico — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.New York — hardy here. Zones 4 to 7.North Carolina — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.North Dakota — hardy here. Zones 3 to 4.Ohio — hardy here. Zones 5 to 6.Oklahoma — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Oregon — hardy here. Zones 6 to 9.Pennsylvania — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Rhode Island — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.South Carolina — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.South Dakota — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Tennessee — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Texas — hardy here. Zones 6 to 9.Utah — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.Vermont — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Virginia — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Washington — hardy here. Zones 5 to 8.West Virginia — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Wisconsin — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Wyoming — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.
Hardy on zone rangeNot hardy — still linked
Choose a state from the listeasier on a phone

Common questions about Borage

Is Borage deer resistant?
Borage (Borago officinalis) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged, step 2 of 4 on the damage scale this site uses. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
What hardiness zones does Borage grow in?
Borage is hardy in USDA zones 2 to 11. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
Does Borage grow in shade?
No. Borage wants full sun and will grow thin and flop in shade.
How big does Borage get?
Mature height is roughly 19–38 in. Growth rate is fast.
Is Borage toxic to dogs or cats?
Yes. The ASPCA lists Borage as toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. Site it away from where animals graze, or choose something else if you have a dog that chews.

Browse from here

Every list Borage belongs to.

All annuals·Seldom damaged·Full sun plants

Hardy in these zones

Zone 3·Zone 4·Zone 5·Zone 6·Zone 7·Zone 8·Zone 9

Damage ratings follow the four-step field scale published by Rutgers University. Growing data is compiled from state extension sources and still being verified record by record. Last reviewed .