Fragaria virginiana (Wild Strawberry)
$8.00
Out of stock
Size: < 1’ tall, spreads by runners
Sun: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil: Medium, Well-Drained
Bloom Time: Spring
Deer Resistance: 3/5
Ecotype: Pennsylvania
"Even now, after more than fifty Strawberry Moons, finding a patch of wild strawberries still touches me with a sensation of surprise, a feeling of unworthiness and gratitude for the generosity and kindness that comes with an unexpected gift all wrapped in red and green. "Really? For me? Oh, you shouldn't have." After fifty years they still raise the question of how to respond to their generosity. Sometimes it feels like a silly question with a very simple answer: eat them."
- Robin Wall Kimmerer, from The Gift of Strawberries, excerpt from "Braiding Sweet Grass"
Wild Strawberries make a fantastic, fast-growing ground cover, or "green mulch," that helps to protect the soil. They easily mingle with other perennials, adapting to the shade they cast as they grow taller during the season. In spring, they produce small edible strawberries that are enjoyed by humans and wildlife alike. These berries are smaller than cultivated strawberries, but the flavor is far superior. You just have to find them before the animals do!
Along with producing edible fruit, Wild Strawberries are also considered a keystone species, serving as a larval host plant for at least 73 species of moths and butterflies.