The bronze or purple form of garden fennel (not to be confused with sweet or Florence fennel, an annual vegetable grown for its swollen bulbs) is a handsome and popular perennial, often planted on its own for impact or combined with bergamot in flower borders. Will develop into a magnificent airy, cloud of maroon/green foliage, crowned in late summer with large heads of tiny yellow flowers, resembling Queen Ann’s Lace. The seeds are as useful as the leaves, and may be left to ripen as an edible crop, the root is not eaten. Swallowtail butterflies love it, and their caterpillars will eat it.
