Ornamental Strawberry, Coastal Strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis [white] and Fragaria x ananassa 'Lipstick'[pink])
Ornamental Strawberry, a perennial Ground cover, is usually grown for foliage and flowers, not for fruit. It forms a compact, 2-8 inch high mat, with spreading runners in the same manner as other fruiting strawberry plants. You'll see glossy dark green leaves and pink or white 1" flowers in spring and summer, followed by small ornamental strawberries. Lipstick usually blooms again in the fall. Both species grow in poor soil, clay, gravel, rocks, sandy, etc., and full sun to part shade, with low water, moderate water or even regular water, but always need good drainage. If you have clay soil, be sure to plant on slope, hillside, or in containers. Makes a good lawn substitute and can be cut back or mowed in early spring to encourage new growth and is hardy to -30F.
Remember, the very characteristic that allows this ornamental strawberry to spread as a great groundcover can also allow it to be invasive if you don't watch where the runners travel. Easy to pull out runners if they land where you don't want them. Just pot them up and give them away to friends, but be sure when planting that you don't bury the crown of the plant!
This is a very tough, dependable plant for almost any landscape. It stays tight to the ground when allowed to spread on its own, but grows a little taller as a border plant. Recommended for difficult filler areas where you need something low growing. Both species take foot traffic when not in fruit, and removing the fruit will encourage longer bloom periods. Needs a lot of sun for fruit production.
Sorry, but as of 5/8/18, there is limited availability on this plant.
Please remember that not all sizes are available at any given time.
Free delivery in Orange County only. We do not ship plants outside Orange County, California due to weather, shipping service handling, and cost considerations.