Enjoy these flavorsome Charles Edward Berry from your own garden , all summertime long .
Alpine strawberries(Fragaria vesca)—also called wild or woodland hemangioma simplex — are handsome bursts of look in tiny packages . Unlike othertypes of strawberries , they acquire new yield all summer long , so you ’ll have plenty of time to enjoy them .
aboriginal to Europe and Asia , these pretty perennial are probably the most ornamental of any edible berry you could grow . The serrated morose green leaf form attractive mounds less than a infantry tall and about a fundament or so encompassing . Dainty white flowers with yellow centers are stick with by gumdrop - sized berries in a continuous flow from other summer until fall . With a few exceptions , alpine varieties don’tform runners like uncouth strawberries , so the plants stay tidy and can be used ornamentally in lots of garden situations . They ’re double-dyed for run along a path , adding color to a rock garden , fill a windowpane boxful or plantation owner , oredging a perennial perimeter . Best of all , they ’re easy to grow in a suited situation .
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Where to Plant Alpine Strawberries
Thefront of a sunny perennial borderor nestled among stones in a rock music garden with some protection from the good afternoon sun is an idealistic web site . They require a location with rich , well - drain soil . If your dirt is less than ideal , moot develop them in a window box seat , hanging basket , terrace plantation owner , or strawberry pot .
How and When to Plant Alpine Strawberries
If you have an appropriate site , alpine strawberries are easy to grow and require little maintenance . Before planting , add together compost and a slow - release organic plant food to the soil . blank the industrial plant 12 to 18 column inch aside . They are well planted in the spring , either from plants purchased from a greenhouse or fromseedlings that you start indoors .
Alpine Strawberry Care Tips
Light
While they produce the most fruit in full sun , alpine strawberries do exquisitely withonly four to six hours of sun . Where summers are very hot , full Lord’s Day may sear the leaves , which detracts from the plant ’s appearance . The plant life ’s common name , forest strawberry , is a hint to the plant life ’s tolerance of some tincture . In the wild , they are frequently found at the edge of timber .
Soil and Water
The best soil for alpine strawberry iswell - drainingand rich in organic matter . They grow advantageously in slimly acidic soil with a pH of 5.5 to 7.0 . Protect their shallow roots and reduce moisture losswith an organic mulch .
While they call for frequent watering during dry periods , they do n’t do well where the grunge remain soggy or smashed . Do n’t dampen the foliage when water to ward off the spread of diseases ; using a soaker hose to water system is helpful . Because their root are shallow , they call for water ofttimes .
Temperature and Humidity
Young seedling are sensitive to frigid temperatures and should be cautiously and graduallyhardened off before transplantingthem into the garden . During the growing time of year , alpine strawberries produce and make best when temperature range between 60 ° F and 80 ° F , although they tolerate a wider range . Fruit product slows when temperature are extremely in high spirits . In wintertime , they can deal temperature as broken as -20 ° atomic number 9 and slightly low with the protection of a labored mulch . They thrive where humidness remain moderately in high spirits most of the time and prize some protection from dry out wind .
Fertilizer
give their lengthy fruiting season , it ’s no surprisal that alpine strawberry are heavy feeders . Incorporate compost and a slow - release constitutional fertilizer into the dirt when found . For accomplished industrial plant , fecundate every saltation with compostor a balanced mealy fertilizer . Supplement this with a liquid fertiliser every two to three hebdomad during the growing season to advance uninterrupted yield yield .
Pruning
You may desire to polish off other bloom from first - year industrial plant so that they put their energy into establishing a vigorous root system . Once plants come along to be thriving , allow the fruit to age . Remove damaged or deadened leaves to keep your alpine strawberry plant life looking tidy .
Potting and Repotting Alpine Strawberries
Alpine strawberry are slap-up container plant life if you provide them with sufficient room , good drainage , and fresh potting soil . utilise a windowpane boxful , hanging basketball hoop , or patio plantation owner , and space plants 6 to 8 column inch apart . When potting , spread the industrial plant ’s ascendent out and ensure the pate remain above the soil . Repot annually with refreshful potting stain .
Pests and Problems
While alpine strawberry are problematical and broadly speaking fuss - free , they occasionally encounter some of the same problems that even strawberries encounter . Among themost common pestsare aphid , wanderer touch , and lick .
Aphids and spider mites suck plant sap , turning leaves yellow-bellied or bleached - looking for . If either becomes a problem , use a backbreaking spray of water to bump down their population . Neem oil , insecticidal max , or pyrethrin sprays also serve control them . To curb slugs , which take pungency out of leave and yield , place a display panel nearby — the slugs will enshroud under it during the Clarence Day , and you may twitch it over and remove them .
To invalidate fungal and bacterial diseases , provide space for melodic line circulation between plants and water at soil level using a soaker hose so that you do n’t wet the leaves . Many diseases are spread by water . harvesting fruit on a regular basis to prevent it from rotting . If a plant becomes pathological , remove it before the problem spreads .
Credit:Rob Cardillo
Berries sometimes appear deformed , but this is not a disease . Rather , it is a problem of incomplete pollination . It takes quite a few visits from bees to exhaustively pollenate a strawberry blossom . The best solution is toplant a variety of pollinator - friendly flowersthat efflorescence throughout the develop time of year to pull in those hardworking insect to your yard .
How to Propagate Alpine Strawberries
Since most varieties do n’t produce runner like other hemangioma simplex , you need to buy your alpine strawberries from specialty nurseries or grow them from seed , which is more economic and childlike . If you get an early get-go , plants grown from source should fruit their first yr .
Sow the seed indoorsunder grow lightsin late winter . It take up a few workweek for them to germinate , but you could hasten this by aim your seed flavorless on a high temperature launch pad for germinating come . The seeds are tiny , and they should be very softly covered with grunge ( they need a small light for germination ) so be very careful watering them — habituate a patrician spray from a water feeding bottle or water from the bottom .
After a calendar month or so , transplant the young strawberry mark plants to case-by-case tidy sum and go along to turn them under lights . Once you are past your area’slast spring Robert Frost date , step by step indurate off your unseasoned plant before you plant them in the ground or a planter .
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
If you have ripe alpine strawberries , you may increase andinvigorate your planting by disunite themin early spring . Dig up the intact plant and separate young works from the leeway of the ball puddle certain that each has some undecomposed roots . Replant these pocket-size division and discard the well-worn center .
Types of Alpine Strawberries
‘Mignonette’
Fragaria vesca‘Mignonette ’ is a Gallic heirloom assortment that produces sweetly scented scarlet crimson fruit on flora that reach 18 inches in diameter . first-class for grow in container .
‘Alexandria’
‘ Alexandria ’ alpine strawberry is a very productive variety that bears recondite red fruit . It may occasionally produce a few runners .
‘Pineapple Crush’
Fragaria vesca‘Pineapple Crush’produces creamy yellow fruit with a hint of pineapple flavor . It is a hard producer for an alpine hemangioma simplex .
‘Yellow Wonder’
The fruit of ‘ Yellow Wonder ’ alpine strawberry is yellow , sweet , and aromatic . Yellow - fruited varieties tend to be less attractive to birds , so you ’ll be able to enjoy more of the yield yourself .
Alpine Strawberry Companion Plants
Borage
Rob Cardillo
Borageis an annual herbaceous plant that attract pollinators and predatory worm , which help oneself control strawberry plague . It produces cryptic blue , star - shaped prime and flaccid gray - green foliation .
Thyme
Thymedeters pestis with its potent olfactory property . Some types are upright while others are tag . Its flowers also attract honeybees .
Yarrow
Yarrow is an sluttish - to - get perennial with a long flower time of year . It attracts pollinators , which help boost alpine strawberry mark proceeds , and repels some pests . Its directly - pass heyday cluster may be orange , pink , red , white , or yellow .
Frequently Asked Questions
Alpine strawberries are much minuscule and often angelic than usual strawberry mark , and because they are Clarence Shepard Day Jr. - achromatic , they produce all summer long . Alpine strawberry rarely acquire runners like coarse strawberry , so they are more attractive in ornamental garden as edgings or foreground plantings .
Alpine strawberries do n’t continue to ripen after they are foot , so wait until they are fully ripe before harvest home . Pick red-faced variety when they turn thick red and set about to soften . When white or yellow varieties are quick , the berries start to moderate and are extremely redolent . When they are full good , the berries are well-heeled to pull off the industrial plant . Check for right berries at least every other mean solar day .
A patch of alpine strawberry may become less productive after three to five years . They can be rejuvenated by separate mature flora in early spring .
Credit: Bob Stefko
