{"title":"Fragaria","description":"\u003cp\u003eNative and woodland strawberries with tiny, sweet berries. A pretty, edible ground cover for sun or part shade.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"fragaria-vesca","title":"Fragaria vesca","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eFragaria vesca\u003c\/em\u003e: Pocket-Sized Berries Hiding Underfoot\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis native woodland strawberry is a groundcover that pays you back. Small white flowers, then tiny red berries that taste like summer and never make it to the kitchen. YOU WILL EAT THEM ALL STANDING IN THE GARDEN.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlant Characteristics:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBotanical Name:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eFragaria vesca\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCommon Name:\u003c\/strong\u003e Woodland Strawberry\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 5–20 cm (2–8 in)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpread:\u003c\/strong\u003e 15–30 cm (6–12 in) per plant, spreading further by runners\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFlowers:\u003c\/strong\u003e Small, white, five-petalled flowers with yellow centres, followed by small, edible red berries\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBloom Time:\u003c\/strong\u003e Late spring to midsummer (May to July)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFoliage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Bright green leaves in sets of three with toothed edges\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFeatures:\u003c\/strong\u003e Edible fruit, spreading groundcover\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhere to Plant:\u003c\/strong\u003e Use it as a groundcover under shrubs, along a woodland edge, between stepping stones, or at the front of a native garden. It fits well in edible and children's gardens, and since it moves around by runners, plant it where a bit of wandering is welcome.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompanion Plants:\u003c\/strong\u003e Let woodland strawberry carpet a moist bed in sun or part shade with violets, lobelia and fireweed. \u003cem\u003eViola sororia\u003c\/em\u003e opens purple-blue violets at 15 to 25 cm from April to June. \u003cem\u003eLobelia siphilitica\u003c\/em\u003e adds blue lobelia spikes at 60 to 90 cm from July to September. \u003cem\u003eEpilobium angustifolium\u003c\/em\u003e brings rosy magenta fireweed at 120 to 150 cm from June to August. \u003cem\u003eOphiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens'\u003c\/em\u003e adds black, grass-like tufts at 15 to 25 cm for contrast.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlant Care:\u003c\/strong\u003e Plant in average, well-drained soil with some organic matter. It does best with light afternoon shade, and berries are most plentiful with a few hours of sun. Water through the first season. Once established, it handles short dry spells, though fruit will be smaller in drought. Runners root wherever they touch soil. Snip them off to keep it contained, or let them fill in. Pot up rooted runners to share with friends. Little cleanup is needed. Remove dead leaves in early spring if the patch looks tired, and thin crowded patches every few years.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHistory:\u003c\/strong\u003e The woodland strawberry grows wild across much of the Northern Hemisphere, including Ontario and Quebec, where it's found in open woods, clearings and old fields. Gardeners in Europe grew it for centuries before the large garden strawberry existed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFinal Thoughts:\u003c\/strong\u003e Let it ramble along a path edge and share with the chipmunks if you must. SNACKS, LANDSCAPING AND NO GROCERY BILL.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ground Covers","offers":[{"title":"Tray of 18 Plants (9cm Pots) \/ White \/ 3","offer_id":67851583914262,"sku":"FRAGVE10","price":173.95,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0870\/5366\/4534\/files\/Fragariavesca.png?v=1793735831"},{"product_id":"fragaria-virginiana-9cm","title":"Fragaria virginiana (9cm)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eFragaria virginiana\u003c\/em\u003e: Tiny Berries, Big Local Reputation\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the original strawberry, the one your uncle swears tasted better when he was a kid. He's RIGHT, and he will NEVER LET YOU FORGET IT. Small berries, enormous flavour, and runners that treat every bare patch like an open house.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlant Characteristics:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBotanical Name:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eFragaria virginiana\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCommon Name:\u003c\/strong\u003e Wild Strawberry, Virginia Strawberry\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 10–23 cm (4–9 in)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpread:\u003c\/strong\u003e 30–60 cm (1–2 ft), spreading by runners into broad colonies\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFlowers:\u003c\/strong\u003e White, five-petalled flowers about 2 cm (3\/4 in) across with yellow centres, in small clusters\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBloom Time:\u003c\/strong\u003e Spring (May to June)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFoliage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Semi-evergreen, coarsely toothed green leaves in sets of three\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFruit:\u003c\/strong\u003e Small red berries about 1 cm (1\/2 in) across, sweet-tart and intensely flavoured, ripening in early summer; some wild plants carry only female flowers, so a patch of several plants fruits better than a single one\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFeatures:\u003c\/strong\u003e Edible fruit, quick-spreading ground cover, holds soil on slopes, fruit feeds songbirds and small wildlife, non-toxic to cats, dogs and horses\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhere to Plant:\u003c\/strong\u003e Let it run as a ground cover on a sunny bank, along a path, at the front of a border or through a meadow or naturalized area. It grows best in organically rich, well-drained sandy loam but also handles clay and silt, and it copes with occasional dry spells once established. Give it room, since runners root as they go and a few plants become a carpet within a couple of seasons.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompanion Plants:\u003c\/strong\u003e Use wild strawberry as a native ground layer in a sunny or part-shade bed with taller natives rising through it. \u003cem\u003eAquilegia canadensis\u003c\/em\u003e adds nodding red and yellow columbines at 30 to 75 cm in May and June. \u003cem\u003eGillenia trifoliata\u003c\/em\u003e brings starry white flowers on red stems at 60 to 120 cm in June and July. \u003cem\u003eSolidago rigida\u003c\/em\u003e adds flat-topped yellow goldenrod at 90 to 150 cm from August to October. \u003cem\u003eDeschampsia cespitosa\u003c\/em\u003e adds fine blades and airy flower clouds at 60 to 90 cm.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlant Care:\u003c\/strong\u003e Plant in spring or early fall with the crown at soil level, and water regularly through the first season until the runners begin to root. Established patches need little care beyond a drink in long dry spells; the plant prefers cool spring and fall weather and slows down in summer heat. No pruning is needed, though you can shear tired old leaves in early spring and pull runners that wander where you don't want them. Skip heavy fertilizer, which pushes leaves at the expense of fruit. Pick the berries in early summer as soon as they turn fully red, because the birds are watching too.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHistory:\u003c\/strong\u003e Wild strawberry grows across eastern and central North America, from Newfoundland west to Alberta and south to Georgia, including Ontario and Quebec. Carried to Europe in the 1600s, it later crossed with the Chilean beach strawberry in France to create the garden strawberry grown today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFinal Thoughts:\u003c\/strong\u003e Plant a patch, let it roam, and race the chipmunks to breakfast. FAIR WARNING: THE CHIPMUNKS HAVE BEEN TRAINING.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ground Covers","offers":[{"title":"Tray of 18 Plants (9cm Pots) \/ White \/ 3","offer_id":67886522827030,"sku":"FRAGVI09","price":173.95,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0870\/5366\/4534\/files\/Fragariavirginiana_199ce668-6add-47ea-aedc-faa72ea06617.png?v=1793735923"}],"url":"https:\/\/blacksheepperennials.com\/collections\/fragaria.oembed","provider":"Black Sheep Perennials","version":"1.0","type":"link"}