Anise Hyssop, borage and milkweed seeds

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Goofygirl Stafford, VA(Zone 7a) Aug 15, 2015

Hi all,

This summer was my first every veggie garden which was mildly successful. Tomatoes did well and cucumbers were average. But zucchini, butternut squash, corn, peppers and peas were a flop. I suspect one of the reasons the zucchini and b-nut squash did not do well is because of poor pollinators. I had several b-nut that started to grow but while they were still tiny, they died off. So, I did some Googling and read that planting anise hyssop and borage will attract pollinators.

I also planted a native plantings meadow this year with native Virginia grasses and flowers as well as Butterfly Milkweed. The meadow did pretty good considering it is the first year. My biggest problem is that I was so busy this spring and summer, that I was not able to monitor the area well. So, because the area was a grass/weed area and I did not have time to properly break up the thatch or kill off the weeds, the weeds have grown back like crazy.

In addition to the anise hyssop seeds, I also purchased scarlet milkweed and common milkweed seeds for the meadow as well as borage officinalis.

So, my question is, since the milkweed, borage and hyssop are perennials, should I sow the seeds this fall or wait until spring? Or both? The anise hyssop package has 400 seeds! The others have 100 seeds each.

Thanks for the help!
Christine
Stafford, VA

This message was edited Aug 15, 2015 11:00 PM

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chinabitbit Fridley, MN(Zone 4b) Aug 15, 2015

You can sow the milkweed and hyssop seeds in the fall, they will germinate in spring. Gold finches and other small birds love hyssop seeds so you will also attract those along with the pollinators.
I have never planted borage so no idea.

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altagardener Calgary, AB(Zone 3b) Aug 16, 2015

Borage isn't a perennial - it's an annual. Chuck the seeds out during winter or spring. It's easy to get it to the point of being self-sustaining through self-seeding.

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