SEASONING  Bronze fennel is an herb, so you can use the leaves, stems, flowers, and seeds in all sorts of culinary delights. The flavor is often compared to anise, sometimes to licorice. But don't overlook this plant if you don't plan to use it in the kitchen   you'll love it in the garden as an ornamental addition. Bronze fennel is at home mixed into beds of perennials and annuals, so don't relegate it to the herb garden. In fact, fennel should be planted away from dill, with which it sometimes cross-pollinates unfavorably.  

SIZE    Bronze fennel's ultimate size varies in accordance with its growing conditions. When grown in all-day sun in fertile soil, such as clay or well-prepared garden soil containing plenty of organic matter, bronze fennel may become 7 feet tall by summer's end. Regular watering promotes growth, too. Such size makes the feathery perennial ideal for filling empty corners, standing behind shorter perennials, or mixing with other tall plants. When grown in partial shade or poor soil, bronze fennel may stay as low as 3 feet. Lack of water may stunt its growth, too, though this plant doesn't demand constant moisture. Trimming lanky stalks (an optional task) promotes bushiness.

SEEDLINGS   Bronze fennel blooms at the top of its stalks. Whether you leave the blossoms intact or cut them off is up to you. The lacy blooms are pale yellow and pretty and attract lacewings, a beneficial insect that eats the bad bugs. The flowers are edible, too, as are the seeds they produce. But seeds that fall from flowers can yield a flock of unwanted seedlings. Plantlets are easy to remove from soft soil  in clay, not so easy. Seedlings are more prolific in sunny beds than in partially shaded areas. Poor soil produces fewer seedlings as well. Some gardeners clip flowerheads early as a method of population control. Bronze fennel stops producing leaves when it blooms, so removal of buds to prevent flowering also encourages fresh plumes of foliage.

All images and text copyright Jo Kellum 2008
All rights reserved. No reproduction without written permission of the author/photographer.
Excerpted from the book, published by The University Press of Mississippi: 
Southern Sun: A Plant Selection Guide
which features perennials, annuals, shrubs, trees, groundcovers, and vines that thrive in various sunny conditions in Southern gardens.

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