If youâve studied our companion planting guide, you know that fennel is one of those plants that doesnât typically play well with others. You have to dig each plant up and out. If you want to bring in the swallowtails like I do, be sure to plant fennel in the right spot. Bronze fennel is the preferred host plant for anise swallowtail and the eastern black swallowtail butterflies, so consider adding some to a habitat, tea, or pollinator garden. Where To Buy Plants. Luckily, fennel grows quickly and flowers often, so it rarely gets eaten to the ground. Fennel is often planted in butterfly gardens because it is the nectar plant of the swallowtail butterfly. Do not compost the roots yourselfâtheyâll grow again. I enjoyed my fennel and the caterpillars that become the (I think black) swallowtails. Water: Drought tolerant. Actually, no. One hungry critter decimated three newly-planted Finochio seedlings down to the nub. Sow the seeds into weed-free soil thatâs been raked to a fine texture, setting seeds about 1cm (0.5in) deep. Simply place the little piece you saved in a shallow dish, glass, or jar of water, with the base facing down. Keep plants evenly moist throughout the growing season â mulching is a good strategy. For a unique tasty addition to your meals, consider growing the fennel plant! This means that butterflies lay their eggs on the plants which then hatch into caterpillars which eat the plants. Special Notes. Install a water garden, a bird bath or a catch basin for rain. What Is Fennel? When the shoots appear, side dress the plant with compost and/or organic fertilizer, mulch, and water once or twice a week, or enough so that soil maintains some moisture. Visit Fennel-Apple Salad With Walnuts for a simple yet tasty recipe. I didn't know it liked to be grown alone so need to keep an eye on nearby plants. The fact sheet and poster set available through the Texas AgriLife Extension Service (below), is a beginners guide to selecting host plants for our most common butterfly gardening species, including the black swallowtail on parsley, dill or fennel, the gulf frittilary on passion vine, and monarch butterfly on milkweeds. A black swallowtail caterpillar was discovered on a fennel plant on September 14, as seen above. In my downtown plot, every fennel, dill and rue plant is loaded with Eastern Black Swallowtail caterpillars. Fennel grows very much like dillâitâs a cool-weather herb that needs full sun, but itâs drought-tolerant and can Herbs that Attract Butterflies Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) Borage (Borago officinalis) Catmint (Nepeta) Catnip (Nepeta cataria) Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) Cuban Oregano (Plectranthus amboinicus ) Dill (Anethum graveolens) English Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) Holy Basil - aka Tulsi/Tulasi (Ocimum tenuiflorum) More items... Fennel is a plant that was made to be devoured. Likewise, do swallowtail caterpillars eat fennel? Some of the green fennel tends to make seeds (after blooming) when it gets hot, which can interfere with its host plant duties a bit. The upside is that there is so much plant material, you really donât care. The cats chew the fronds and stems down to the ground. Common fennel / Foeniculum Vulgare var. Be sure seedlings are thinned or transplanted 10 to 12 inches apart. Fennel seeds direct sown in the garden will germinate in a week or two. If sun is limited in your landscape, try adding butterfly nectar sources to the vegetable garden. Check out our tips for growing, harvesting, and using fennel from your garden. Butterflies through Binoculars: A Field, Finding and Gardening Guide to Butterflies in Florida, by JeffreyGlassberg, Marc Minno and John Calhoun was used as a reference for the text in this document. However, Dogfennel is poisonous and has been used as an insecticide and antifungal. ⦠To find the best types for your area, check your local garden center or this cool milkweed finder. Butterflies. Fennel. The host plants of the Black Swallowtail butterfly include such plants as carrots, parsley, dill, fennel, Queen Anne's Lace and rue. Sow the seeds into weed-free soil thatâs been raked to a fine texture, setting seeds about 1cm (0.5in) deep. Space fennel plants 4 to 12 inches apart, depending on the variety. Choose nectar and pollen-rich plants like wildflowers and old-fashioned varieties of flowers. There are 100+ species of milkweed in a wide range of colors and sizes. GROWING NOTES Plant in very well-drained soil. How much to plant: Grow 1 to 2 fennel plants for cooking; grow 4 to 5 plants for preserving. Fennel plant care is pretty easy, since this is a very low maintenance herb. Fennel makes a good addition to butterfly gardens statewide when temperatures cool in fall and winter. My Fennel is growing really well again this year. Last year they overdid that and overgrazed the plant. Jane Powell. The smell of the Fennel keeps the Carrot root fly away. Bees, birds and butterflies also all need water. Fennel-Fennel is the companion plant to dill. Try to make sure your plants get consistent water (but not soggy soil), especially bulb fennel. Host Plant: Eastern Black Swallowtail A pollinator garden will provide pollen and nectar. Latin Name: Foeniculum vulgare. Where To Buy Plants. Plant for continuous bloom - Butterflies need nectar throughout the adult phase of their life span. Growing fennel from seed can be done in the early season with 10 to 12 inches apart for the best result and preventing fungal disease. Flowers attract beneficial insects, so don't cut them before they start to fade. You know, parsley (Petroselinum crispum) â thatâs why itâs called the Parsley worm.Other family members are dill (Anethum graveolens), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), carrot (Daucus carota subsp. When seedlings are 3 to 4 inches tall, acclimate gradually to outdoor conditions before carefully transplanting as above. Fennel is a Mediterranean plant that has been introduced to the U.S. Over many years, it has naturalized in our area. Monarch caterpillars do not feed on tomato plants, despite what may seem like circumstantial evidence to the contrary. Already the swallowtails have deposited eggs and caterpillars have hatched.
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