new & need guidance on fennel.......!

[Lizanne]

Hi all,

I'm Lizanne and although I've been gardening pretty much all of my 36 years I have to admit that I've managed most of the time on a wing and a prayer. In my experience plants want to grow and thankfully cope with all but the most hideous mistakes.

I'm based near Glasgow so have the joys of the Scottish Cold, the Scottish Rain, the stunning Scottish summer twilight & the glorious (but very heavy) Lanarkshire soil.

I [U]WILL[U] be bugging you all coz I'm growing loads of things this year that I never have before and I'm literally hoping for the best!

On that note - any comments on bronze leaf fennel? I succumbed to a spur of the moment purchase (despite my "seed only" rule for 2009......) and now have the cutest little plant that I have no idea where to plant (I'm assuming Sunny) or what soil (I'm assuming well drained)! if anybody has an experience with fennel that they could share I would really appreciate it.

Speak soon

Lx

[Comfreyfan]

Hi Lizanne and welcome to the Vine - it's a great place for advice - especially when the weather's bad!!

My bronze fennel grows happily everywhere - it seeds all over the garden and doesn't seem at all fussy - although it generally seems to prefer a sunny spot.

[Two_Sheds]

Bronze fennel is a weed - and a tough one to dig out, too.

I grew it once, and now it's everywhere.

[Sweepster]

You can remove the flowerheads if you want to prevent it self-seeding. Sunny and well-drained is ideal, but it doesn't seem too fussy. And it's beautiful!