bees love borage

One of the many bees dangling from
the borage flowers.

The edible landscape is going strong! Harvests this week include zucchini, yellow summer squash, more and more chard, lettuces, carrots, and a few pole beans. The tomatoes are getting close! The various flowers around the garden are keeping the bees and other pollinators coming. The borage has been especially attractive to bumblebees, honeybees, and various native bees and other pollinators. Stop by the garden to see them in action. It is quite amazing. Just look at the number of bees in these photos!

Borage grows to about 2-4 feet in height. Planted in masses it creates a dense clump of fuzzy foliage topped with dusky blue nodding flowers. The flowers and leaves are edible. Find out more about edible flowers in this U of M Yard and Garden Brief. Borage is also known to repel squash bugs, so it is planted near the zucchini, summer squash, winter squash and melons in the edible landscape.

In other Edible Landscape news, the cucumbers (which were transplanted in the broccoli raab's location after it was finished) are starting to fruit.

This mass of borage is simply buzzing with activity.