Foeniculum vulgare 'Giant Bronze'
fennel - bronze
- Position: full sun
- Soil: fertile, moist, well-drained soil
- Rate of growth: fast-growing
- Flowering period: July to August
- Hardiness: fully hardy
Fine clouds of feathery, bronze-purple leaves are followed by flat-topped, sulphur-yellow flowerheads in mid to late summer and then by aromatic seeds. This giant fennel looks fantastic as a centrepiece for a sunny herb garden, or among tall perennials and grasses. The foliage acts as a delicate veil through which the flower heads of herbaceous plants and bulbs can be seen. - Garden care: The plant's tendency to self-seed may be a problem in hot summers. If fennel is being grown exclusively for its foliage, remove the yellow flowerheads to prevent it from self-seeding. When flowers have finished them cut back to 30cm from the ground.
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Smoke-bronzed swirls of aniseed-scented leaves topped with fragile umbels of dainty yellow flower provide a garden aromatherapy treatment - a sensation with red crocosmias
Val Bourne - Garden Writer