Indisputably amongst the greatest of garden foliage, it forms fluffy mounds of soft purple-bronze feather like leaves rising skywards into stout, elegant branched stems topped with flat heads of tiny creamy yellow flowers. Texture, colour and form combined into a single easy to grow package.
Fennel is a classic Mediterranean perennial, drought hardy, self seeds and isn't fussy about soil or irrigation though it's even more robust on alkaline sands. In nearly all instances I would use this showier bronze form which is still subtle enough that it combines well with everything and if I wanted green I would probably use Ferula communis instead.

Chop nearly to ground level when new shoots are seen in winter or before seed drop if self sowing offends.

Scratch seeds into sunny well drained soil in winter.

A fast growing, sensationally hardy garden sculpture, also useful as a source of low grade fibre for ropes and twine around the home. The single three metre wide symmetrical rosette of stiffly held, sword-like, green, leathery leaves produces, in maturity (typically 3-5 years), a towering seven metre tall many branched flower spike that bears hundreds of pendant, greenish-cream, goblet-like flowers followed by plump bulbils that are easily detached and replanted for large scale greenscaping. As it is monocarpic (it dies after flowering) it can be useful for temporary fill or scale while more permanent plants are still growing or else replace it with one of its progeny for greater dynamics.

All the glory of a large Agave without the time commitment, sans spines and suckering.

From South America and the Caribbean and looking equally at home in xeric, mediterranean or tropical styled gardens. Unkillable in any soil that receives at least a few drinks a year. Tolerant of light frosts. Survives shade and/or copious water but will be prone to toppling when in flower.

A pitiful pot subject unless it can get its roots in the ground.