Fragaria vesca

Fragaria vesca: Pocket-Sized Berries Hiding Underfoot

This 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.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Fragaria vesca
• Common Name: Woodland Strawberry
• Height: 5–20 cm (2–8 in)
• Spread: 15–30 cm (6–12 in) per plant, spreading further by runners
• Flowers: Small, white, five-petalled flowers with yellow centres, followed by small, edible red berries
• Bloom Time: Late spring to midsummer (May to July)
• Foliage: Bright green leaves in sets of three with toothed edges
• Features: Edible fruit, spreading groundcover

Where to Plant: 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.

Companion Plants: Pulsatilla vulgaris 'Red Bells' flowers red in April and May, just before the strawberry's white blooms. Allium 'Serendipity' adds purple globes at 38 to 51 cm in July and August. Campanula rotundifolia brings nodding violet bells from June to September. This low, informal mix works in sun or part sun.

Plant Care: 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.

History: 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.

Final Thoughts: Let it ramble along a path edge and share with the chipmunks if you must. SNACKS, LANDSCAPING AND NO GROCERY BILL.