Borago pygmaea

I admire the way this small biennial borage earnestly claws its way through perennials and shrubs to get its own flowers to the fore. I use the pale-blue flowers with the pink blooms of Geranium ‘Mavis Simpson’ and the chocolate-rose foliage of Sedum telephium (Atropurpureum Group) ‘Karfunkelstein’, but the colour works well in most settings. To establish in the border, it is best to plant out the tap-rooted rosettes in summer (grown from a spring sowing) for flowering the following year. It appreciates a sunny aspect and sharp drainage, and will naturalise well after flowering.

Height 20-40cm. Origin Sardinia and Corsica. Conditions Well-drained soil; sun. Hardiness RHS H4. Season Summer – autumn.