Foeniculum vulgare Seeds | Sweet Fennel Dulce
LATIN NAME: Foeniculum vulgare
COMMON NAME: Sweet Fennel, Fennel
Plant Profile
Sweet Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) grows as an upright, aromatic, herb in the carrot family, native to warm regions of the Mediterranean and nearby lands, while it is grown for its fragrant leaves, its seeds. Established plants reach around Two metres. Put simply, this is a rewarding species for anyone willing to give it a suitable spot.
Science & Biotechnology
Like other members of the carrot family, Foeniculum vulgare draws steady attention from botanists and plant breeders, who value the genus both as a subject of research and as a source of garden-worthy material. Fennel has a genuine and distinguished place in both chemical and culinary research. From a research perspective, species of this kind are valuable material for work on propagation and on the selection of uniform lines.
Uses & Benefits
Sweet Fennel works well in borders, containers and dedicated beds. Ecologically, fennel is a generous plant of dry coasts and the riverbanks. Its golden heads of bloom feed bees, hoverflies and insects of summer, and its feathery foliage gives cover, while it is a bright presence in fields and waysides of the Mediterranean and beyond. Its economic value is real and historic. In later seasons it demands little more than an appreciative eye.
Fennel seed is among the world’s most-used digestive herbs, official in pharmacopoeias for gas, bloating and infant colic teas; its anethole-rich oil flavors everything from toothpaste to absinthe, and the bulb is a crisp aniseed vegetable.
Growing from Seed
Sweet Fennel is one of those generous plants that come along well from seed. Sow thinly on the surface of a loose, well-drained seed compost, cover lightly, water in gently and keep the tray in a sunny spot with even moisture. Shift the seedlings into small pots as soon as they can be handled, and give them bright light until planting-out time.
Our Take
At around two metres, it stays at a scale that suits modest gardens. Start with fresh seed, keep it evenly moist, and the plant does the rest itself.
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