Wild strawberry - Fragaria vesca

Fragaria vesca, which is more commonly known as the wild strawberry, is a charming and vigorous ground cover with lobed leaves. In spring and early summer, it produces small white flowers that later give way to the famous intensely flavoured wild strawberries. It prefers rich and humiferous soil, in semi-shade or dappled sunlight. It will form a very effective carpet for wild flower beds. This fabulous strawberry will deliver a wonderful harvest.

Fragaria vesca belongs to the Rosaceae family, just like many fruit trees (apple, pear, plum, medlar), as well as many ornamental plants, such as roses, avens, and physocarpus. The wild strawberry is found at the edge of many undergrowth areas, where the leaf litter provides a suitable carpet for its establishment. The characteristic leaves are composed of three dark green, toothed leaflets. They are semi-evergreen if the climate is not too cold. Between April and June, and sometimes sporadically until September or October, the plants produce a profusion of delicate white flowers with 5 petals and a yellow central cone. Under good conditions, these flowers produce wild strawberries a few weeks later. They are small red fruits with an unmistakably intense and fragrant flavour. From a botanical point of view, strawberries are pseudocarps. The seeds on the strawberry (achenes) are the true fruits, while the red fleshy envelope is just a means for the plant to facilitate their dispersal by animals. 

Fragaria vesca is a particularly robust plant. It is very hardy (down to -25°C (-13°F)) and can thrive under shrubs and trees. It will produce a higher yield in humus-rich, fertile soil that is not too dry. Plant it in light shade or non-burning sunlight. It spreads through its thread-like runners, as well as by spontaneous seedlings, and forms an excellent ground cover for slightly neglected areas at the edge of undergrowth. Wild strawberries are easy to manage, as the plants and runners have weak roots and do not interfere with neighbouring plants, unless they are very small. After a few years, the clump forms a semi-evergreen carpet that is impervious to weeds. It will provide a delicious harvest.

It is an ideal plant for slightly wild flower beds, where it will enhance taller plants such as Astrantia 'Florence', bleeding heart 'Valentine', large ferns like Lady Fern (Athyrium filix-femina), or the grass Deschampsia caespitosa, which tolerate shade well.