Foeniculum officinale 'Purpureum'

The Bronze Fennel is a variety of Fennel that does not form a bulb but develops beautiful bronze-coppery foliage on elegant stems. It is a perennial aromatic plant, hardy but also highly ornamental, which can be grown in both vegetable gardens and perennial beds. Sowing from March to May.

In the garden, this fennel will thrive in a sunny, well-drained, rocky or sandy soil. Its stunning bronze foliage, with coppery reflections, contrasts beautifully with its sulphur yellow umbel flowers in summer. Very airy, it is decorative from May to October, and is particularly suitable for naturalistic-style beds where it adds a lot of lightness.

The Bronze Fennel is just as edible as the classic variety and is used in cooking for its aniseed flavor to enhance salads, fish, and soups.

Harvest: Fennel leaves are harvested as needed, and the seeds are collected before they fall.

Storage: The leaves should be consumed immediately after harvest, while the seeds can be stored for several months in a dry and cool place.

Gardener's tip: The Bronze Fennel has a very beautiful flowering, but you will probably have to make a choice: cut them before the flowers appear or keep them, at the expense of the coppery colour of the foliage. Similarly, you will have to face a dilemma regarding its seed production, as the Bronze Fennel self-seeds abundantly in favourable conditions, to the point of becoming somewhat invasive. Therefore, you will need to be quick and harvest them before they fall.