Strawberries (Fragaria spp.)
Exposure: Full sun. Zones 3-10.
Soil: Well-drained, acidic to circumneutral garden soils. Grow in well-mulched beds.
Growth Habits: The first fruit of the season to ripen, strawberries are low-growing perennials that spread by runners, often forming a solid ground covering mat of plants and plantlets. Strawberry beds will need to be renovated periodically to maintain optimim productivity.
Landscape Uses: With their dark green, attractive foliage, pretty white flowers and bright red fruits, strawberries make one of the finest edible, ornamental groundcover plants for use in the home landscape. The everbearing varieties also make good hanging basket or pyramidal planter plants. In the garden they should be grown in mulched raised beds. Do not interplant strawberries with blueberries. They don?t make good companions.
Usefulness: Strawberry fruit is highly nutritious and delicious. The fruit has refrigerant qualities, so will cool you off on a hot summer day. Leaves are astringent and can make a nice tea.
Available varieties
'Allstar' - June bearing. Large strawberry with that sweet, good-ol' strawberry flavor! Late mid-season. $2.75/4 inch
'Earliglow' - Early June bearing. Good for dessert or freezing. Disease resistant. $2.75/4 inch
'Surecrop' - June-bearing. Large crops of fine, slightly tart, bright red berries. Disease resistant. $2.75/4 inch
'Tribute' - Day neutral. Large, sweet and acidic, high-quality fruit. Disease resistant. $2.75/4 inch
'Tristar' - Day neutral. Fruit has sweet, aromatic flavor. Disease resistant. $2.75/4 inch