Hi Lisa, Do you have the one named little princess? I have not seen them listed in any catalog so far! My son has a girlfriend that is referred to as Little Princess, she even has a t-shirt with that name one the front! That would be cool if I could find a tulip with that name :) If you know of any place where I could order one or a few, please let me know? Thank You, Patricia

I have been ordering a large number of bulbs from VE every year. Lilies from this supplier are not always true to name, though, but that's all right with me, because I wanted a large collection of Lilies for cut-flowers. The bulbs are huge and the customer service is exceptional. Can't beat the price either. And I have not had any problem with virus with VE's bulbs ---so far.

Well, I had a bit of trouble posting pictures, Picasa lost all the links, but they're back now... My Benfica has finally opened all the way and what a beauty.. I just can't get the color right, have taken a dozen pictures and they all come out too purple...anyway, the color is a very, very dark velvet red, just lovely and it's a 6 "+ flower. In the pictures it looks just like my Red Pearl, but since they're not both out I can't compare...take a look and see if you still think it's Benfica.. Thanks, Donna These were taken without flash and I still couldn't get the color right! Here is Red Pearl:

I grow both the bronze and the Florence. I also grow Rue which they consume just as readily as the fennel, and Zizia aptera as a back up, which they sometimes lay eggs on and eat when the fennels in the front yard are chewed down. Differentiating between the "varieties" of fennel is somewhat confusing because there is a lot of conflicting information floating around on the web. However, Foeniculum vulgare var. dulce is the most commonly grown fennel, and is used for its seeds, foliage, and the stalks (similar in texture and eaten like celery). It is perennial in temperate climates, like Oklahoma. The Bronze is a close relative, F. vulgare var. purpurescens, used in the same fashion as the dulce. F. vulgare var. azoricum is used for seeds, foliage, and the bulbous base is used as a vegetable (you've probably seen in the produce section of the supermarket). Calling them Florence fennel leads to more confusion cuz I find both referred to as Florence, depending on the writer. The butterflies don't care which one you use. thank goodness! The azoricum is less hardy than the dulce, but both are short-lived perennials IMHO, and are borderline hardy in Oklahoma, where winter extremes are variable from year to year. The good thing is that they do self-sow readily. That said, one year I had to remove the flowers due to a heavy wasp invasion. They loved the fennel flowers and the baby BSTs. I personally like the bulb fennel the best because produces more lush foliage which in a good winter stays green and full. I just don't use the bulbs. It has lasted 4 or 5 years max for me. The Bronze seems more prone to winter die back than the bulb, and I have to generally buy new plants. So, there you have my explanation and interpretation on the performance of fennel in my zone 7a garden. Susan