Foeniculum vulgare Seeds | Sweet Fennel Dulce
LATIN NAME: Foeniculum vulgare
COMMON NAME: Sweet Fennel
Plant Profile
Foeniculum vulgare, better known as Sweet Fennel, is a tall, upright herb in the carrot family. It likes sun, and deep, moist, well-drained soil. All of this makes Sweet Fennel a satisfying plant to grow and to get to know.
Science & Biotechnology
Seed science, comparative botany and horticultural selection all touch on Foeniculum vulgare, a representative of the carrot family with clear practical value. Aromatic seed oils of sweet fennel hold a long place in research on culinary and medicinal herbs of carrot family, and vulgare species appears in studies of anise-like seed chemistry and feathery-crown development. Centuries of cultivation have left a detailed record of how it grows and behaves.
Uses & Benefits
Sweet Fennel works well in borders, containers and dedicated beds. In sunny garden, sweet fennel gilds summer border with golden umbels. Seeds serve breads, sauces and drinks for generations, leaves season fish and salads, and flowers draw hoverflies and the bees. It thrives in deep, moist, well-drained, sunny ground. Routine care after establishment is refreshingly light.
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
Starting Sweet Fennel from seed is simple and satisfying. Scatter the seed evenly over a loose seed compost, cover to no more than its own depth, and keep the pot moist and bright. Grow the youngsters on steadily in pots until well rooted, then move them to their final positions.
Our Take
Sweet Fennel repays a little patience at sowing time with plenty of garden presence later.
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