General Information: variation of common fennel is bronze fennel, Foeniculum vulgare ‘Purpureum’. With the same sweet licorice flavor as Sweet Fennel, Bronze Fennel has just as many culinary uses and looks great in the garden too. Bronze fennel is a culinary delight with aromatic leaves and seeds that are used in Italian dishes. The leaves are great with fish and can be used to stuff the cavity of a whole fish or wrapped around fillets. Try combining the leaves of Bronze Fennel with French Tarragon for an extra kick. French Tarragon has a spicy bite that the Fennel does not, and yet both have the anise flavor.
With the same sweet licorice flavor as Sweet Fennel, Bronze Fennel can be used in place of Green Fennel in any recipe, and the soft wispy leaves with their unique bronze color add a lot of visual interest in the flower or herb garden. With a height of four feet and a breadth almost as great, its wide spreading grace also makes it the perfect back of the border plant for cottage gardens. By the end of the summer it will put up tall spikes that will be endowed with little yellow button flowers. If left on the plant, these will turn brown and make fennel seeds. If these spikes are cut back to the ground the plant will stay looking better longer.
