Fennel Foliage

14 years ago

I posted in the Herbs Forum, but have not gotten a response yet, so thought I would try here. I haven't had this problem before, so it is a first for me.

The foliage on once of my Florence Fennels is yellow. Started emerging from the ground about a month ago very yellow. The yellowing has diminished a little bit, but still noticeable. Do you think I could have overwatered and that is causing it? Or, does it need some vitamin or mineral that it is not getting? I don't, as a general rule, fertilize herbs, except for basil sometimes, so I am not quite sure what to do.

Has anyone else experienced this, or have any suggestions?

Susan

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Comments (4)

marcy3459
14 years ago
Susan,

If your other fennel look 'normal', which I would think would account for deficiency or overwatering, could you have a sport?

You'll have a new decorative herb or veggie, like swiss chard 'Bright Lights'!

Marcy
susanlynne48
Original Author
14 years ago
Don't think it is a sport, though that would certainly be fun! It is actually my "mama" plant. It could be that it is just "wearing" out and I need to replace it. The bulb fennel does that after about 4 or 5 years, and I had forgotten that aspect of the fennel. I have lots of seedlings coming up, though. Yeah!

Thanks for your input, Marcy.

Susan
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Don't forget that Lavendar is also a culinary herb as well. Great in cookies! Needs full sun and absolutely good drainage. I like to cook with fennel (foliage) on fish. There are different fennels - the bulb (large bulb used as a vegetable), the regular, grown for foliage only, and bronze. I plant all 3. Mainly for the Black Swallowtails. If you find those beautiful black, yellow, and white striped caterpillars on dill, parsley (curled mainly), and fennel - you've got black swallowtail caterpillars. You can plant extra for them and most the cats to those plants. This is our state butterfly. Flat leaf parsley is easier to cook with and eat. The curly leaf parsley tends to "stick" in people's throats. I know because I made a dish with it, and nobody could eat it! Big leaf green basil I agree is best for cooking pesto. Mmmmmm, I'm hungry already! I also grow garlic chives and chives, too. Hardy Rosemary can be grown here as well. Make sure you have the hardy cultivars. I grow lots of medicinal types of herbs, too, like Rue, because it is a host plant for the Black Swallowtail as well as the Giant Swallowtail. The butterflies love the blooms on many medicinal plants, e.g., echinacea or coneflowers, and many are quite lovely. A lot of what we grow in the garden is actually a medicinal and/or culinary herb. I also grow plantain for the Buckeye butterflies, but it is edible as well. Curry plant, or helichrysum petiolare(not the flowering straw flowers) can be eaten, too. This is also a host for Painted Lady butterflies. Pleurisy root (or asclepias, or milkweed) was used for just that. However, it is the host plant for Monarch butterflies. The tropical (Asclepias curassavica) is an annual, but it's flowers also attract lots of nectaring butterflies as well. There are several perennial milkweeds, too. Think about foxglove as well, or digitalis (heart medicine). Most people don't actually use these for medicinal purposes anymore, because these plants can be poisonous if not used properly. But, I include them in my garden not only as host plants for butterflies, but because they are beautiful as well. BTW - I have lots of Asclepias curassavica 'Silky Gold' and red/yellow blooms if any wants the seeds. Best planted after frost, directly in ground or pots outside. Susan
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marcy3459
14 years ago
Susan --

I read your post just after reading an article from Van Engelen about the viruses attacking the bulbs that made the beautiful striations in multi-color tulips. So my thought process went from tulip bulbs to fennel bulbs so easily ;-) But you're right, bulbs wear out eventually.

Every year I swear I am going to quit growing tulips and go with just daffodils. So much trouble, battling the voles, the deer, but then----those beautiful blooms and my heart just melts. How could I NOT have tulips? And back I go to planning the next fall planting.

Don't you love this leap from fennel to tulips? Only another gardener would understand.

Marcy
susanlynne48
Original Author
14 years ago
Tulips are gorgeous, and I always love to see the neighbors yards that plant them en masse. I haven't got any cuz my room runs mostly to butterfly plants. I do have other plants, but generally perennials or reseeding annuals. You have to be careful what Tulips you buy if you want them to return year after year, as I understand it, perhaps some of the species Tulips would work in a small patch on the lawn. My neighbor's species Tulips are so pretty. They are smaller, but just as lovely IMHO.

I have a group of Daffodils that I really must divide. The are a lovely lemon yellow with a pale yellow corona. I bought them several years ago from Van Engelen's, and they were absolutely huge bulbs. Also got a beautifully huge Oriental Lily that is white with yellow stripes and it gets humongous, and a peach colored Tiger Babies lily that is very nice as well. Also have a Lilium lancifolium Flore Plena which is a double flowered version of the regular.

Somehow a group of white Daffs showed up in the yard this year! Have no idea where they came from.

So many viruses around. The one that attacks Hosta has I think taken one of mine. Grrrr.

My Lily-of-the-Valley finally, finally bloomed this year, after 8 years in the ground! Can't believe it took that long.

Good luck with your fall planning! I discovered today that I have 2 multiplications of my Jack in the Pulpit. They are so cool!

Susan

Fennel Foliage

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