Organic Bronze Fennel - Ferme de Sainte Marthe seeds - Foeniculum dulce

Foeniculum officinale 'Purpureum', also known as bronze fennel, is a non-bulbous, aromatic, and ornamental variety of fennel. It develops beautiful bronze-coppery feathery foliage on elegant stems. It can be grown in both vegetable gardens and perennial flower beds. Sow from March to May.

In the garden, this fennel will thrive in sunny, well-drained, rocky or sandy soil. Its stunning coppery-bronze foliage contrasts beautifully with its umbels of sulphur-yellow flowers in summer. This airy variety is decorative from May to October, and is particularly suitable for naturalistic-style flower beds, adding a touch of lightness.

Bronze fennel is just as edible as the classic variety. It is used in cooking for its aniseed flavour that adds to 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: bronze fennel has a very attractive flowering, but you will likely have to make a choice: either cut the flowers before they appear or keep them, at the expense of the coppery colouration of the foliage. Similarly, you will have to face a dilemma regarding its seeding, as bronze fennel self-seeds abundantly in favourable conditions and can become somewhat invasive.