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| Fragaria virginiana, wild strawberry, photo by Walter Siegmund via Wikimedia Commons |
Why I'm growing Fragaria virginiana in my garden...
1) It's native to Tennessee and across much of the Continental U.S.
2) According to Michael Kost at the University of Michigan Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum, wild strawberry flowers attract pollinators, while the small fruits that follow are edible for both people and wildlife.
3) The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center says that Fragaria virginiana serves as a host plant for the larvae of grizzled skipper and gray hairstreak butterflies.
4) I'm always on the lookout for groundcover candidates -- especially natives. Kost says that F. virginiana can spread relatively quickly, especially in partial to full sun, but that wild strawberry has shallow roots that make it easy to remove the plant if it expands out of bounds.
4) I'm always on the lookout for groundcover candidates -- especially natives. Kost says that F. virginiana can spread relatively quickly, especially in partial to full sun, but that wild strawberry has shallow roots that make it easy to remove the plant if it expands out of bounds.
Do you grow wild strawberry? If so, what has been your experience with this plant?
