Some plants have it all. They can be used for delicious food or flavoring, they can be used for medicine to treat common discomforts, they make lovely additions to our dooryard gardens because of their beautiful foliage and flowers, and as an added bonus they are attractive to the beneficial insects we want to visit our gardens. Fennel is a plant that does all this. Easy to grow from seeds or transplants, fennel is also drought tolerant and hardy. The leaves are finely divided and graceful, swaying gracefully to each gentle breeze. They have a delicious licorice scent and are very good in salad or added at the end of cooking time for fish or chicken. The seeds can be added to foods as well, but are commonly used in a medicinal tea. One teaspoon lightly crushed fennel seeds in a cup of hot water steeped for thirty minutes can be used to increase breast milk, sooth an upset stomach, or used as a gargle for sore throat. The seeds can also be chewed after meals to aid digestion and freshen breath. Florence fennel has a bulbous base which can be used as a vegetable. Bronze fennel is attractive to butterflies as a larval food. All types of fennel have brilliant yellow umbel flowers that bloom from early summer and beyond. These clusters of flowers are visited eagerly by many types of pollinators. Fennel is a wonderful example of a plant with so many uses that no home garden should be without.
1 comment:
Hi Judy,
I have planted flowering plants to attract pollinators and repel pests, garlic, onions, basil, and lots of marigolds. The issue I have right now is ants and millipedes. One of my beds, the one not doing so well is covered with both. Are they doing harm to my plants, or are they a sign of something else that is wrong?
Post a Comment