I have some packaged fennel seed from 9/09 you can have. I will email you.

Hi moussecasey, Welcome to Garden Web and The Seed Exchange! Please see addressing newbie and newer member issues for instructions on getting your Member Page email link set up so that you can easily be reached for trading. Happy Trading! chemocurl...aka Sue

I have tarragon. no way passion fruit would grow here but check my list incase you have any of my wants http://members.gardenweb.com/members/exch/woodsidetrader Here is a link that might be useful: my list

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