Fennel pack of 25-30 seeds Imported

Fennel is a large attractive plant with soft feathery leaves and tall stems topped with flat clusters of tiny yellow flowers in summer. The leaves, flowers and seeds have an aniseed flavour and aroma and can be infused to make tea, added to salads or used in cooking.

Herb or common fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is closely related to the vegetable Florence  (F. vulgare var. azoricum), but the herb is a perennial, living for several years. It is also similar in appearance to dill, a distant relative, but is much taller, more vigorous and longer lived. Fennel can reach at least 2m (6½ft) high and up to 60cm (2ft) wide.

They is easy to grow, hardy and drought tolerant, and needs virtually no maintenance once established. It likes free-draining soil and full sun. Fennel dies down in autumn and re-sprouts from the base in spring. If you allow it to self-seed, new fennel plants will pop up around the garden.

As well as being edible and aromatic, fennel looks great in many settings, from formal herb gardens to flower borders and gravel gardens, and it mingles particularly well with ornamental grasses. The flowers are attractive to a many beneficial insects, as well as to flower arrangers. is best sown straight into its final growing site in mid- to late spring. It can also be started off indoors, but dislikes root disturbance, so use modules to keep the rootball intact when transplanting. Alternatively, you can buy young fennel plants in pots and carefully transfer them to their growing site without disturbing the roots. Buying  young plants is often a good option if you only want one or two of these ultimately large plants.

Choose a sheltered, sunny growing site with light, free-draining soil. Fennel grows fast and makes a big, tall plant, so allow it plenty of space, with at least 30cm (1ft) between neighbouring plants.