Wild Strawberry Rügen - Fragaria vesca

Fragaria vesca 'Rügen' is a wild strawberry that stands out for its generous yield and its larger fruits compared to most other wild strawberries.  It is also a ground-covering plant that can be used to dress the base of trees and bushes in a flower bed. It will fit well in the vegetable garden or in a pot on a terrace. It does not produce stolons and only multiplies through sowing. From April onwards, it is covered in small white flowers with 5 petals that give rise to very aromatic, red wild strawberries. Harvest them from May until the first frost. This strawberry thrives in rich and humus-bearing soil, in partial shade or not too intense sunlight.

Belonging to the Rosaceae family, like many other fruit trees (raspberry, cherry, apple, plum...), the wild strawberry, Fragaria vesca, is a very common perennial plant in Europe. It usually grows at the edge of the undergrowth, where the leaf litter provides a suitable carpet for its development. The 'Rügen' variety is an old selection of wild strawberries from 1920, named after the island located in northern Germany. It is a ground-covering plant that, unlike Fragaria vesca, does not produce stolons. It only multiplies through sowing. Its leaves are composed of three dark green, toothed leaflets, evergreen in not-too-cold climates. The young leaves are edible in salads. From April, more sporadically in the heart of summer, and again in September, this wild strawberry is covered in 5-petaled white flowers with a yellow central cone. These flowers produce wild strawberries a few weeks later, small red fruits with an unmistakable taste, and so easy to pick. The fruits of the 'Rügen' variety are larger than those of the wild species. Slightly elongated, they have that typical wild strawberry taste and can be enjoyed fresh, in coulis, in pastries, jams...

Hardy and undemanding, Fragaria vesca 'Rügen' finds a place in all gardens, as a ground-covering plant, planted at the base of trees or bushes or in a flower bed. It will be perfect in a pot or in the vegetable garden. Pair it with other varieties of wild strawberries like Fragaria 'Yellow Wonder' with white fruits or 'Alexandria' with lighter foliage to vary the selection. In a partially shaded wild flower bed, it will blend beautifully with taller perennial plants like Astrantia major 'Roma' with pale pink flowers and Bleeding Heart 'Aurora' with white flowers.