Gentle giants making a statement with giant fennels from the Mediterranean

摘要

With their great height but delicate, filigree foliage, giant fennels are impressive plants. Christopher Grey-Wilson admires these monumental Mediterraneans. Few perennials strike a more statuesque pose in Mediterranean landscapes than the giant fennels. Their bold flowerheads of bright yellow-green are unmistakable during spring. In the garden, other herbaceous perennials struggle to match them for grandeur and a plant in full flower can be a wholly arresting sight. Although they are summer-dormant (an adaptation to fierce Mediterranean heat), the dead flower stems are solid enough to provide a striking structural foil for other plants throughout this period.