Wild Strawberry Fragaria virginiana

Scarlett Strawberry, also called Wild Strawberry, is a herbaceous, flowering, perennial and a member of the Fragaria genus, a large collection on plants producing edible fruit. The plant has a low profile of about 5 inches by 2 feet wide and spreads by runners making it useful as a groundcover as well as a provider of edible fruit. It can also be used as erosion control holding soil on slopes. The plant is native to North America, from Newfoundland and Alberta in Canada, south to Georgia, Tennessee, and Oklahoma in the United States. The genus name comes from the Latin word fraga, presumably from fragrans meaning fragrant in reference to the perfume of the fruit. The species name refers to Virginia.

Scarlett Strawberry is a winter hardy plant and easily grown in fertile, moist to dry, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade, although it does prefer organically rich, sandy loam. This plant likes the cooler temperatures of spring and fall and does not do well in summer heat and humidity or in strong, drying, winds. After setting fruit, the plants may slow down or go dormant in hot summer months. Plants flower in spring followed by the fruit, but fruit production can be affected by the prevailing temperatures. Plants spread indefinitely by runners that root as they sprawl along the ground and will form large colonies over time.

Wildlife Value: Members of the genus Fragaria support the specialized bee Andrena (Micrandrena) melanochroa.

Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems:

Strawberries are susceptible to a number of diseases, including leaf spot, scorch, root rots, fruit rots (anthracnose, leather rot), gray mold and viruses. Tarnished plant bugs, spider mites, aphids, leafrollers, slugs, nematodes and strawberry weevils can also present problems.