Borago officinalis

Borage is blandly named, but its constellations of flowers approach something more exotic. Its easy for me to imagine this plant a staple of middle eastern gardens and fields.

Intriguing from a distance, up close it captivates. The lilac tinge of the flowers before turning very blue, the spines a visual fuzz, and the rose madder stems are all gorgeous and the bees love them too.

The stems are beefy, upwards of an inch or more in diameter near the soil. Heavy rain weighs borage down, but the stems curve upwards.

Never before has a flower made my apartment building look so good.